A Jade Princess's Dragon
by SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan
Summary: Igneel was the Fire Dragon King. Where would a King be if he had to go somewhere? The palace of course. With this idea in mind, Natsu heads off to Mercurius, however, a run in with another person who has a King for a father, might just change more things than anyone could have thought possible. The Jade Princess now has a friend in the form of a Dragon... Slayer that is.
1. An Unexpected Encounter

**Damn it, you guys gave me such good feedback for my other five Fairy Tail stories, that I sat down and stubbornly typed this whole story up in 2 hours. I was originally going to hold this story in reserve, as I already have five other Fairy Tail stories up, plus another 7 stories from other archives and didn't want to take on more than I could handle… but the massive amount of positive feedback and encouragement I got, motivated me to do this one as well.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 1 – An Unexpected Encounter

'Ne Natsu, why are we going to Mercury Circus?' Asked Happy, a blue and white, winged, cat-like creature, who was currently resting atop Natsu's head.

'It isn't Mercury Circus Happy, it is Mercurius.' Said Natsu, a small pink haired boy, who appeared to be about eleven or twelve years old. He was clad in a red, long-sleeved shirt and dark yellow shorts with brown trim and simple brown shoes. Along with this though, he possessed a white scaly scarf, which he kept wrapped around his neck.

'Yeah, yeah Merry Row City, but why are we going there again?' Questioned Happy, as he yawned atop Natsu's head.

'*sigh* Because Igneel is a King and a King should be in the palace, right?' Explained Natsu.

Natsu had picked up his blue haired companion, in the form of an egg a week ago. Natsu had been roaming various towns and villages, looking for hints on where Igneel might have been. Of course, people looked at him strangely when he explained that Igneel was a large, scaly dragon, but Natsu didn't give up hope. One day, when he had been roaming around Magnolia, he found an egg that he mistook for a dragon's egg. Natsu had eagerly waited with the egg until it hatched, however, it was no dragon. Despite this though, Natsu was happy to have a companion after such a long time and thus, named the blue-furred flying cat, Happy.

'Aye sir.' Cheered Happy, before falling asleep in Natsu's hair.

Natsu gave a soft sigh at this before smiling, he was really glad that he found Happy's egg. Truthfully, Natsu had been getting lonely all by himself. Natsu had, at one point, considering joining a guild in Magnolia called Fairy Tail, however, when Natsu was roaming around Magnolia and asking about dragons, a mean spirited, white haired girl, bearing the Fairy Tail insignia, had laughed at him and mocked him for believing in dragons, which dissuaded Natsu from that particular idea. After asking around Magnolia without success, he headed off into the forest, in the direction of Mercurius and had found Happy's egg, nestled within a tree. Since then, Natsu and Happy had been inseparable, of course, it helped that Happy got tired if he flew for too long and thus, spent most of his time perched on Natsu's head.

'Hey, Natsu.' Muttered Happy sleepily, as he briefly roused himself from his nap.

'Yeah buddy?' Asked Natsu.

'Are we almost there yet?' Asked Happy tiredly.

'Almost buddy, we're maybe a day or two out from there, I think.' Said Natsu, as he furrowed his brow in thought.

'Ok, wake me up when you find some more fish.' Said Happy, before slumbering once more.

Natsu softly chuckled at this. Happy, despite his diminutive size, had a serious appetite for fish, being able to all but match Natsu on a regular day, assuming Natsu hadn't worked himself too strenuously. It had made for some very interesting eating contests between the two.

Natsu noticed that the sun was still fairly high, indicating it was either three or four in the afternoon. As Natsu trudged on, he wondered if they would be able to reach Mercurius by today.

"Hmm, I hope we get there soon, I really want to see Igneel." Thought Natsu, as he picked up his pace a little.

Exiting out of the tree line, Natsu found himself on a fairly well maintained dirt road. The road itself was very smooth, with only a few rocks scattered here and there, making for a somewhat, unnatural appearance.

'Hmm, if the road looks like this… it must mean we are close to town.' Declared Natsu, before breaking out into a small jog, just making sure not to rouse his sleeping partner.

Coming over a small hill, Natsu noticed he indeed could see the capital in the distance.

"Awesome, we are almost there." Thought Natsu in joy, as he continued to jog.

Eventually, Natsu's nose picked up on the smell of smoke. Knowing where there is smoke, there is usually fire, Natsu picked up his pace, hoping to catch a quick meal, before heading into town. Natsu quickly raced towards his destination, causing a slightly disgruntled Happy to wake up.

'Natsu, there better be fish.' Mumbled Happy sleepily, not at all pleased at his abrupt awakening.

'Sorry buddy, but we are almost there. Look to the left, that's Mercurius. I just smelt some smoke over there and decided to get a quick snack before we head in.' Explained Natsu.

'I want fish when we get there then, it wasn't nice to wake me from my nap.' Muttered Happy in annoyance.

'You got it Happy.' Said Natsu, before kicking up his jog and starting to sprint, now that Happy was awake and clinging to his hair.

Natsu could now see where the smoke was coming from and noticed a wooden carriage, with gold and silver designs on it, along with numerous jewels placed around it, was smoking a little, looking as though someone had burned the corner of it. Outside the carriage, stood a small green haired girl, who appeared to be the same age as Natsu, and a knight clad in silver armour, who looked as though he had seen better days, as he was down to one knee and was using a sword to support himself. In front of the two, stood four scruffy looking people, two of them had staffs, one had an axe and the other was barehanded and seemed to be the leader of the group.

As Natsu neared the group, his enhanced senses picked up their words.

'Now old man, just step aside, you wouldn't want us to hurt you anymore now, would you?' Questioned the leader of the assailants, who was clad in a black robe and possessed dirty blond hair and blue eyes.

'Just hand over the Princess and we will let you walk away, well, that is, if you still can, with that wound.' Said the leader, as he gestured to the knight's leg, which seemed to have been pierced through with something. There was a small circular hole, about the size of a cherry, on his left leg, just under and to the left of his knee, out of which, a rather heavy flow of blood was pouring.

'Never, I won't let scum like you take the Princess, as her guard, I won't let any harm befall Princess Hisui.' Declared the knight, as he struggled to stand, before dropping back to his knee.

'Arcadios, please don't move you're hurt.' Said Hisui in a nervous voice.

'Princess, do not worry for me, I am your guard and I will not let any harm befall you.' Assured Arcadios, before finally standing up.

'Oho, you have some fight in you, however, this just means you're going to suffer more.' Said the leader, before clicking his fingers, causing the axe wielding man to make his way towards the two, menacingly raising his axe as he did so.

' **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**!' Declared a voice, grabbing everyone's attention, before a small pink haired boy landed a flame infused fist, right into the face of the axe wielder, knocking him a few metres away, as he dropped to the ground unconscious.

The five remaining, still conscious humans, gaped in shock and surprise, at a little boy knocking out a fully grown man.

' **Fire Dragon's Roar**!' Declared the boy, before launching a wave of fire at the trio of muggers.

The leader and one of the staff wielders were able to escape, but the other staff wielder took the attack head on and slammed into a tree, also unconscious.

' **Lightning Burst**.' Said the leader, as he launched a small bolt of electricity at Natsu.

Natsu barely dodged it and charged at the last two aggressors.

' **Fire Dragon's Claws**!' Shouted Natsu, as he swung his left leg in a roundhouse kick, aiming to knock both attackers out at once.

The leader dodged the attack, while the remaining staff wielder blocked the kick, but was unprepared for Natsu to launch a point blank roar at him while upside down, blasting him into unconsciousness as well.

Natsu's world was then rocked, as he felt an immense pain in his gut. There was a small cherry sized hole in his stomach, with blood gushing out of it.

'Natsuuu.' Cried Happy in fear, as he flew over from his hiding spot in a tree, to his now kneeling partner.

'Heh, you might have got lucky kid, taking out my help, but I'm no pushover, now, say good night.' Said the bandit menacingly, as he aimed his index finger at Natsu's face.

Natsu shifted, hoping to be able to dodge the attack, which would almost certainly prove fatal if it hit, despite the blood gushing from his stomach, but stumbled. Natsu closed his eyes in fear, seeing his brief life flash before him, before he heard a thump. Natsu opened his eyes to see the assailant knocked out on the ground, the previously injured knight had mustered up enough strength to stand up, and had struck the bandit in the back of his head with the hilt of his sword. Seeing his life was safe, Natsu collapsed and passed out.

'Come Princess, we must get you to safety quickly.' Said Arcadios, as he turned away from the downed Natsu and walked over to the Princess.

'Eh, but we can't just leave him there Arcadios, he will bleed out.' Said Hisui sadly, as tears started to gather in her eyes.

'My first priority is your safety Princess, he did his duty as a citizen of Fiore: protecting you. Once I have assured your safety, I will come back for him.' Said Arcadios, in what he hoped was a persuasive voice.

'N-Natsu, are you okay? Come on now, it isn't *sniff* nap time. I-If y-you wake up now, I'll g-give you a fish.' Said Happy with tears in his eyes, as he used his tiny hands to prod Natsu, hoping to rouse his bleeding friend.

'I'm not letting him die for my sake Arcadios, if you won't bring him along, I'll just have to carry him.' Said Hisui firmly, as she walked over to the downed body of Natsu.

'Princess, please be reasonable.' Said Arcadios, as he held his arms out in a pleading gesture.

Hisui, undeterred, walked over to Natsu and, with some difficulty, slung his right arm over her shoulders and proceed to lift him up, uncaring of the blood that was currently staining her white dress.

'It's ok, your friend will be fine.' Said Hisui to the sobbing cat, hopping to comfort him.

'T-thank you, I'll h-help you.' Said Happy, as his wings appeared, and helped lift Natsu up as well, grabbing onto his left arm and pulling with all his might.

'Princess Hisui, please be reasonable.' Pleaded Arcadios one last time, in a futile attempt to dissuade the Princess.

'No, my mind is made up Arcadios, now quickly, we need to get him to the palace before he bleeds out.' Said Hisui, before she, along with Happy, carried Natsu to the carriage.

Arcadios sighed, before helping the Princess and sobbing blue cat, haul the pink haired youth into the carriage. Once he was inside, the duo of princess and cat clambered inside after him, with Arcadios heading to the front of the horse drawn carriage and urged the horses onwards. Natsu was rested on one side of the carriage, with Hisui sitting at his head and Happy at his feet.

Hisui saw the blood was spreading from his wound and quickly tore a strip off her dress, which she wrapped around the boy's bloody midsection, before pressing down on it.

'Please, just hang in there, I couldn't bare if someone… was hurt for my sake and I couldn't thank them.' Said Hisui, hesitating at using any word related to death or dying.

'Natsu, hang in there.' Snivelled Happy, as he patted Natsu's leg.

'Is that his name, Natsu?' Asked Hisui, hoping to distract herself from the possibly dying boy next to her.

'Y-yeah, his name is Natsu Dragneel and I'm Happy, he found my egg a week ago and we ate a lot of fish together since then.' Sobbed Happy.

'I just know, any second now, he will wake up… and tell me he is hungry and wants a fish.' Continued Happy.

'N-Natsu is my first and only friend.' Finished Happy, with a sniff.

'My name is Hisui E. Fiore, I'm twelve years old; do you know how old Natsu is?' Asked Hisui softly.

'*sniff* I think Natsu is twelve as well, I'm not too sure, I'm only a week old after all.' Said Happy quietly.

'You're rather smart for someone who is only a week old.' Complimented Hisui.

'Aye, Natsu's been teaching me how to speak, while we made our way to Merry Circus.' Said Happy sadly.

'Did you mean to say Mercurius?' Questioned Hisui with a soft smile.

'Aye, that word is hard to say, but Natsu says his dad would be there because he is a King and a King would be in a palace. Natsu's been looking for him for a while now.' Said Happy with a small sob, calming down somewhat, thanks to Hisui's conversation.

'Really, who is Natsu's dad and what is he a King of?' Questioned Hisui in surprise.

'Natsu's dad is Igneel and he is the King of the Fire Dragons, he even taught Natsu his magic.' Said Happy proudly, even though he was frowning.

'A dragon? Really?' Questioned Hisui in shock.

'Aye, no one believes Natsu, but I know Natsu wouldn't lie about it. People are really mean though and tell Natsu to stop lying and to go away, so he hasn't been able to find him yet.' Said Happy sadly.

'That's because dragons haven't been seen for years, so it is hard to believe.' Explained Hisui softly.

'Does that mean you think Natsu is lying too?' Asked Happy tearfully.

'No, I believe him. If you say Natsu wouldn't lie about something like that, then he must be telling the truth, right?' Said Hisui with a smile.

'*sniff* I like you pretty girl, no one has ever believed Natsu before, except for me. It isn't fair that people think Natsu is a liar.' Said Happy, with a chocked sob, as he noticed his friend was going pale.

'That's true, don't worry though, once we get Natsu all fixed up, he can tell me all about dragons.' Said Hisui, with a small smile.

"Please don't die." Thought Hisui desperately, as she pressed down on the boy's wound and shed a tear in sadness.

 _-line break-_

A pink haired boy groaned as his eyes fluttered open. Natsu blinked as he adjusted to the light and looked around. Lying on his chest, was a snoring mass of blue fur. Happy, Natsu realised, before turning to his left side. A white wall, from what appeared to be marble, greeted his face. The stone was as smooth as could be, without a single blemish. Natsu then turned to his right and saw the same green haired girl he had tried to save before, her head leaning against his arm, with the rest of her almost falling out of the wooden chair she was sitting on. Looking at the rest of the room, Natsu noticed it looked like a small medical facility, with another seven beds in the room with him, a window in-between each pair of beds, which allowed the rising sun to illuminate the white room.

Natsu made to sit up and felt a harsh stabbing pain in his stomach, which caused him to hiss in pain.

'N-Natsu, are you awake?' Questioned Happy sleepily, as he blearily rubbed his eyes.

Natsu blinked, as once Happy had stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at Natsu, his eyes widened before he tackled Natsu's neck.

'Natsuuu, you're okay!' Wailed Happy, causing the girl next to Natsu to stir.

The green haired child gracefully sat up and stretched a little while cutely yawning, placing her right hand in front of her mouth as she did so, before rapidly blinking her eyes and looking at the bawling Happy first, before seeing Natsu's open eyes.

'You're awake, thank goodness.' Said the girl, before giving a soft smile.

'Uh where am I?' Asked Natsu groggily.

'We are at Mercy Curious Natsu, we made it.' Said Happy happily.

'Hehe I keep telling you Happy, it is Mercurius.' Chuckled Natsu weakly.

'He is right though, you are in fact in Mercurius.' Said the girl, drawing Natsu's gaze.

'Y-you're that little girl right? That's good, I was worried you might have been in trouble.' Said Natsu, with a small smile.

'Wait, if we are at Mercurius, where is Igneel.' Asked Natsu curiously, as he once again tried to sit up, only to wince in pain once again.

'Please don't move, your wound is still very dangerous and might open up again if you move around too much.' Cautioned the green haired girl.

'Uh ok miss…' Said Natsu, trailing off at the end.

'Hisui, my name is Hisui E. Fiore.' Said Hisui.

'Fiore? Isn't that the name of this country? Did they name you after the country?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

Hisui giggled at this, before answering Natsu.

'No, my name is Hisui E. Fiore because I am the Princess of Fiore.' Explained Hisui.

'Wow, a real Princess, so wait, does that mean you know where Igneel is, he is the Fire Dragon King?' Asked Natsu eagerly, as he sat up before Hisui could stop him, ignoring the brief stabbing pain he felt.

'No, I'm sorry, there is no one named Igneel around here and no dragons either.' Said Hisui sadly.

'You believe me?' Questioned Natsu.

'Yeah, Natsu, I told her that Igneel was your dad and that he was a dragon and she believed me. She said, that if I said you weren't lying, then she would believe it too.' Explained Happy happily.

'Really? Do you really believe that? Believe me?' Asked Natsu curiously, as he narrowed his eyes slightly, studying the Princess.

'Of course, why would you lie about that?' Replied Hisui instantly, causing a smile to spread on Natsu's face.

'You know what Hisui, I like you, want to be friends?' Asked Natsu suddenly.

Hisui was surprised at this.

'What, just like that, you want to be friends? Why?' Asked Hisui in surprise.

'Anyone who believes me about Igneel is a friend of mine already and you are the first person to believe me, aside from Happy of course.' Explained Natsu.

Happy also nodded his head in agreement.

'I'd like that, to be friends.' Said Hisui, with a smile.

'Awesome.' Said Natsu, with a smile of his own.

'Oh, I see you are awake.' Said a short man, wearing striped overalls, held up by a belt at the waist, under a cape.

Next to the short man was the knight from before, his armour was still present, except for around his left leg, which was heavily bandaged.

'Hey it's that knight from before, you're okay as well!' Exclaimed Natsu cheerfully.

'Of course, a simple flesh wound would not bring about my end.' Replied Arcadios.

'Hmm, but who are you old man, the doctor?' Asked Natsu, as he squinted his eyes.

Arcadios spluttered in shock, while Hisui merely giggled. The man in question, merely gave a loud guffaw in amusement.

'No, my dear boy, I'm most definitely not the doctor.' Answered the man cheerfully.

'Hmm.' Said Natsu in thought, as he tried to figure out the identity of the small man, who seemed to be enjoying the Dragon Slayer's antics.

'Natsu, this is my father.' Said Hisui after a moment.

'Oh I see… wait, if you are the Princess and he is your dad…' Said Natsu, before trailing off at the end.

'Yes my boy, I am the King, Toma E. Fiore, nice to meet you.' Said the King.

'Oh wow that's so cool, my dad's a King too you know, his name is Igneel and he is the King of the Fire Dragons, do you know where he is?' Asked Natsu excitedly.

Toma sighed and shook his head.

'No my dear boy, I don't, I'm sorry. Dragons haven't been seen, or heard from for decades now.' Answered Toma sombrely.

'But Igneel raised me since I was a little kid, he has been around since then and only disappeared this year and I've been out searching for him since.' Said Natsu quickly.

'*sigh* I'm sorry my boy, but no one has seen a dragon in years. It is possible that there might be a few still around, but no one can find them if they are.' Explained Toma sadly.

Natsu went silent at this and thought on the words of Toma.

'Sorry to ask you my boy, but why did you get involved with Hisui and Arcadios?' Questioned Toma.

'Well I smelt smoke and was following the scent, since I was hoping to find a fire I could eat.' Started Natsu, only for Toma to cut him off.

'My boy, did you say you were going to try and eat fire?' Questioned Toma incredulously.

'Well if I found some, yeah, but I didn't and instead found Hisui and the knight over there in trouble.' Answered Natsu.

'Yeah, Natsu was hungry and wanted a snack before we got to Mere Curious to look for Igneel.' Added Happy.

'Erm, did you perhaps mean Mercurius? Questioned Toma.

'Yeah, Happy is still having trouble pronouncing it properly.' Said Natsu, before he patted Happy on his head.

'But did you say you were going to eat fire?' Questioned Toma curiously.

'Yeah I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer so I can eat fire, it depends on the type, but sometimes fire can be even tastier than meat, Igneel's flames were really delicious.' Said Natsu happily.

'I see, although why did you help Hisui and Arcadios?' Questioned Toma.

'Well, the knight guy looked injured and Hisui looked scared, plus those guys smelt bad, so I decided to help them out, that's all.' Said Natsu, shocking the king.

'So you mean to say you helped Hisui and Arcadios just because, and would have helped anyone in the same situation?' Questioned Toma searchingly.

'Yep, Igneel taught me to be nice to people and help them, even if they all call me liars and say dragons aren't real.' Said Natsu happily, before ending on a sour note.

'I see, that is quite a good mindset to possess and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for helping protect my daughter.' Said Toma gratefully.

'No problem, although, since Igneel isn't here, I guess I will have to go look for him somewhere else. Hmm, maybe if I go join a guild, they might be able to help me find him.' Mused Natsu.

'Why do you have to go?' Asked Hisui nervously.

'I have to go find Igneel, I need to find him and find out what happened and why he left me.' Explained Natsu firmly.

'Hmm, would you be open to another idea?' Questioned Toma, seeing how his daughter appeared sad, at the prospect of the pink haired boy leaving.

'What's the idea?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Well, if you were to stay here, you would be able to get help from the whole kingdom, including all the guilds in Fiore.' Proposed Toma.

'Are you sure about this, my Lord?' Asked Arcadios in a whisper.

'Of course I am. A boy as kind-hearted as him deserves some assistance.' Replied Toma, as he turned to Natsu and waited for his response.

'Hmm, I dunno, I mean it sounds good and all, but I don't think I can just leave the search for Igneel up to others.' Said Natsu with a frown.

'Oh no my dear boy, you can still look for him, by all means, but if you were affiliated with the King and Princess of Fiore, you would have a lot more support in your search.' Said Toma.

'Also, we have a large library, with many books, which just might have information on where dragons might go to.' Added Hisui, hoping her new friend would stay.

'Hmm, I don't know, what do you think Happy?' Asked Natsu.

'Do you guys have lots of fish?' Questioned Happy cheerfully.

'We can gather as many fish as you want.' Said Toma cheerfully, with a laugh.

'Natsu, let's stay here, they have lots of fish!' Shouted Happy excitedly.

Natsu looked to Happy who was already drooling, before looking at the King, who had an expectant gaze, while the knight merely looked stony-faced. Natsu then turned his head to look at Hisui, who gave him a soft smile. Natsu nodded to himself and turned back to the King.

'Alright then, I'll stay.' Said Natsu with a grin, getting smiles from the two members of royalty and a cheer from Happy.

 **Man I almost made myself tear up writing the carriage scene, or maybe that's because it is 3 in the morning and I'm more sensitive at this time… or just sleepy…**  
 **In any case, same drill as for the other stories.**

 **The multiple pairing options for this story are as follows: Cosmos, Kamika, Flare, Meredy, Yukino and/or Jenny.  
**


	2. Green Chrysanthemum

**I'm not abandoning anything people. Man, I got so many messages from people asking me if I abandoned my Fairy Tail stories… I couldn't believe it. I won't ever abandon my stories, much less ones I just started. It is just that I have Uni and need to focus, so writing time is limited. In case you are wondering, I have a chapter of A Demon's Rebirth nearly done as well, so that will come soon. Also, I'm probably going to cave and end up doing the Natsu/Meredy story I've been desperately trying to refrain from (you see how many I have going now), but it keeps annoying me, so expect that sometime next month, most likely. I'm also going to put up another DxD and Bleach story soon as well…  
Also, if you have the time, please check out some of the stuff I have posted on Journalister, more so my original story than anything, as motivation for that is lacking.**

 **Oh, also, the poll for the pairing is up on my profile now as well, so please vote. Basically, Hisui is the defining factor, if she has the highest amount of votes, it will be a single pairing. If one person has more votes than Hisui, they will be added to the pairing, if everyone has more votes than Hisui it will be a full blown harem. I change the polls to reflect my most recently updated Fairy Tail fic, so when I do update A Demon's Rebirth, the poll for that will go up and this one will come down until I update it again. I will keep all polls going until all stories reach chapter 5.**

 **Enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 2 – Green Chrysanthemum

After Natsu had agreed to stay, the King had told him to rest for a bit longer and he would have food brought for him soon, before leaving with Arcadios. Natsu gazed around the room for a bit longer, before focusing on the green haired girl next to him.

'So what do you do for fun around here?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Fun? I enjoy reading I suppose.' Said Hisui shyly.

'What's reading?' Asked Natsu curiously.

Hisui looked at him in shock.

'What do you mean?' Asked Hisui, with an astonished expression.

'Um, I mean I've heard people say it, don't really know what it is though.' Said Natsu, as he scratched the back of his head in thought.

'How can you speak, if you do not know how to read?' Asked Hisui in confusion.

'Oh, Igneel taught me how to talk.' Said Natsu simply.

Hisui had a small realisation at that. Of course Natsu wouldn't know how to read, he was raised by a dragon. Hisui tried to imagine a dragon reading a book, before laughing at the mental picture of a large, scaly red lizard with tiny spectacles.

'What's so funny?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

'I had an excellent idea just now. Please excuse me for a moment.' Said Hisui suddenly, before standing up and leaving the room.

'Uh… do you know what just happened, Happy?' Asked Natsu on bewilderment.

'Maybe she went to get fish?' Suggested Happy.

Natsu chuckled at this, before wincing and clutching his stomach.

'Are you okay, Natsu?' Asked Happy worriedly.

'Yeah, it just stings a little.' Said Natsu, as he gently rubbed his wound.

Happy and Natsu sat there in silence for a few minutes, before Natsu decided to restart the conversation.

'So aside from the fish, do you think it was a good idea that I decided to stay here for now?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Fish is always a good idea.' Said Happy simply, causing Natsu to smile, before continuing.

'But I like Hisui and it would be fun to stay here I think.' Finished Happy.

'Hmm, I suppose. I haven't met anyone like her before. For one thing, she believed me about Igneel, which already makes me like her.' Said Natsu, not knowing that Hisui was currently eavesdropping, holding two books and a pencil in her hand.

'Me too, she was really nice to me… before.' Said Happy, before trailing off, as he remembered the state his friend was in, during the time Hisui was being kind to him.

'Yeah, I like that her hair and eyes are both green, it reminds me of the forest me and Igneel hunted for food in.' Said Natsu happily, getting Hisui to blush slightly on the outside.

"He likes my hair and eyes." Thought Hisui, grasping a strand of her hair, which was currently just past shoulder length.

As she grasped her hair, her hand fumbled slightly, causing the pencil she was holding, to slip from her grasp and clatter to the floor.

'Hmm, is someone there?' Asked Natsu curiously.

Hisui quickly picked up the pencil and entered the room, a small blush still present on her face.

'E-excuse me Natsu, I was on my way back and dropped my pencil.' Said Hisui, hoping Natsu would assume her blush was out of embarrassment for dropping the pencil.

'That's okay, it probably didn't make too much noise anyway. I just have really good hearing because of my magic.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'Really? What else do you gain from being a Dragon Slayer?' Asked Hisui curiously, setting next to Natsu once again, as she rested the two books she had brought with her, on her lap, with the pencil on top.

'Well, I can eat fire like I said, but I also can't be burned by fire either. Aside from that and my hearing, my nose is really sensitive as well. Plus, I'm pretty durable to most attacks and have good reflexes.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.

'I see.' Said Hisui, with a nod.

'So what are those?' Asked Natsu, gesturing to the books on Hisui's lap.

'These are books.' Said Hisui.

'What do you do with them?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'You read them.' Answered Hisui.

'Cool… so what is reading?' Asked Natsu.

Hisui smiled at this question and opened the first book, before placing it on Natsu's lap, on top of his blanket.

'This is a book, which will help you learn how to read.' Said Hisui.

'Hmm, what are all these scribbles?' Asked Natsu, squinting at the book in confusion.

Happy ambled over and looked as well.

'Ne, Natsu, they look a bit like fish don't you think?' Said Happy cutely.

'Not really… oh is that it! Do I burn this book and eat it to learn how to read!' Said Natsu excitedly, lighting his left fist aflame.

'No, no, that's not it at all!' Panicked Hisui, waving her hands frantically.

'Oh.' Said Natsu, as he extinguished the fire around his hand.

'See, this is the alphabet. We use the letters of the alphabet to make words, then use those words to make sentences.' Said Hisui patiently.

'So… does that mean my mouth is the alphabet?' Asked Natsu curiously, only for Hisui to giggle in response.

'Hehe, you have a cute laugh.' Said Natsu with a smile, which Hisui shyly returned.

'Thank you. Although, what I mean is, the words you speak are made up of letters. These are letters written down.' Said Hisui, gesturing to the words written on the book.

'Oh, I get it… so I've been saying these things all along, I just didn't know what they looked like.' Said Natsu, with a grin.

'Well, I suppose that is true.' Said Hisui kindly.

Hisui spent the next hour, teaching Natsu how to read and write. Since Natsu could already speak and form words and sentences, once he was able to memorise the alphabet and what each letter looked and sounded like, he was able to pick up reading fairly easily as well. His writing was rather messy, but was just neat enough to be legible.

'Wow Hisui, you are a great teacher!' Said Natsu in excitement, as he closed the second book Hisui had brought him.

'Ne, Natsu, wasn't that book kind of easy though… and there weren't any fish in it.' Said Happy.

'Yes, that was an easy book, to help children learn how to read.' Said Hisui, with a nod.

'Oh… you're still a good teacher though.' Said Natsu somewhat subdued.

'Thank you Natsu, but you are quite clever as well. I think that with a few more weeks of practise, you will be able to read as well as I.' Said Hisui encouragingly, giving Natsu a kind smile.

'Thanks.' Said Natsu, with a grin, before he smelt something.

'Food.' Said both Natsu and Happy.

Not a moment later, a chef wearing a white robe and top hat entered, pushing a small cart into the small infirmary, with Toma at his side.

'Well young Natsu and you too Happy, here is the food I said I would bring you.' Said Toma happily, as he gestured to the cart.

There were five dishes present: one filled with fish: one filled with meat: one filled with chicken; one filled with vegetables and lastly, one filled with some small cakes and pastries.

'Wow it all looks so good!' Exclaimed Natsu in excitement.

The chef smiled at the praise. Having heard about the young boy who risked his life to save the Princess, he was more than happy to prepare a small feast for the Dragon Slayer.

'Fish!' Said Happy, with a grin, copious amounts of drool building in his mouth and running down his chin.

'Fine, you can have all the fish, Happy.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'Yay, fish!' Said Happy, as his wings popped out of his back and he flew over to his meal.

Toma noticed the books on Natsu's lap, once Happy had jumped off it.

'Hmm, what is that book you have there, Natsu?' Asked Toma curiously.

'Oh this? Hisui was teaching me how to read and write, she is a great teacher!' Said Natsu happily, causing Hisui to smile at the praise.

'It was nothing.' Said Hisui modestly.

'Well, if you would like Natsu, I can have all manner of scholars teach you, it would be no trouble at all.' Offered Toma genially.

'Thanks for the offer, but I'd prefer Hisui.' Said Natsu happily, causing Hisui to blush slightly and Toma to laugh.

'Haha, then far be it from me to stop you, I'm sure Hisui won't mind.' Said Toma happily.

'Y-yes, I would be happy to help Natsu.' Added Hisui, with a shy smile.

'Awesome… um can someone give me the food now? I'm really hungry and still can't move a lot.' Said Natsu sheepishly.

'Of course.' Said Toma and nodded to the chef, who pushed the cart next to Natsu.

'Thanks a lot.' Said Natsu, before he quickly inhaled the plate of meat.

The three unfamiliar with Natsu's eating habits, blinked in shock, as an entire plate of food disappeared in under a minute.

'Hey, what are these things?' Asked Natsu, pointing to the plates remaining.

'These are vegetables.' Said Hisui, pointing to the plate of vegetables.

'What are those?' Asked Natsu, getting the chef to sweat-drop.

'They are food Natsu, you eat them.' Said Hisui patiently.

Natsu looked at the plate and picked up a small orange vegetable. Natsu studied it cautiously before taking a small bite.

'Hey this is pretty good! Not meat, but it tastes sweet.' Said Natsu, as he ate all the carrots on the plate.

'Hmm, this one looks like you.' Said Natsu to Hisui, as he picked up a stalk of broccoli and threw the whole thing into his mouth, causing it to widen to comical proportions, causing the rest of the humans in the room to gape, as he chomped down on the cruciferous vegetable.

'Well, it isn't very sweet and it doesn't taste like meat, but it's pretty good as well.' Said Natsu, after he had swallowed.

Natsu, then picked up a smaller, white looking version, of the broccoli he had just eaten and took a bite.

'Ugh, this sure doesn't taste like that green thing.' Said Natsu unhappily, before his fist was engulfed in fire, startling the chef, as he charred the cauliflower.

Natsu studied it appraisingly, before popping it into his mouth.

'Much better.' Said Natsu, getting the three to look at him in shock, as he enjoyed the vegetable charred to hell.

Natsu repeated this with the other vegetables, charring those he didn't like at first bite, before consuming them.

'Ok, so what's that thing?' Asked Natsu pointing, to the chicken.

The chef and Toma watched on bemusedly, as Hisui explained that chicken was like meat, with Natsu looking at her suspiciously, causing her to explain the difference between red and white meat, to convince him.

Natsu then ate all the chicken happily, especially after the first bite and finally looked at the last plate.

'Those are sweets Natsu.' Said Hisui, as Natsu poked a jelly filled doughnut.

'They look funny.' Said Natsu, as he flicked a bowl of lime jelly and watched it jiggle.

'Just try them.' Said Hisui kindly.

Natsu picked up a small rectangular piece of brown stuff, guessing that since it was the closest in appearance to meat, it would taste the best.

Natsu popped it into his mouth and chewed.

'Wow, what is this?' Asked Natsu, with wide eyes.

'That's chocolate cake.' Said Hisui.

Natsu nodded before going through the rest of the sweets quickly.

'That was good stuff old man, thanks.' Said Natsu, after he finished, noticing that Happy had passed out, after gorging himself on all the fish.

'I'm glad you enjoyed it.' Said Toma, with the chef also smiling slightly in happiness, before taking the cart, after Natsu had taken Happy off it.

'Well Natsu, what would you like to do now?' Asked Toma.

'Hmm, well I wouldn't mind if Hisui helped me read a bit more. I really want to be able to read whatever books you guys have on dragons.' Said Natsu excitedly.

'That's fine, although, Hisui, I think now that Natsu is up, you should go bathe and change your clothes.' Said Toma.

Hisui glanced down and noticed she was still wearing her white dress, which had now turned pink in large areas, due to Natsu's blood, and was torn at the bottom.

Hisui nodded in embarrassment at her father's suggestion, before giving Natsu a small nod as well and leaving.

'You know, she stayed by your side the whole day. I'm glad you turned out to be such a caring young man.' Said Toma, with a small smile.

'Haha thanks, I guess. I don't really think I'm that caring, I just don't see the reason in being mean. I mean, it doesn't help anyone.' Said Natsu happily.

'That is a good mindset to have.' Commented Toma, with a nod.

'Thanks, although, I suppose if Hisui is gone for now, I might take a nap. I'm still pretty tired, even with that awesome food.' Said Natsu, getting the King to smile.

'I see. I'll leave you to it then. However, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.' Said Toma, before leaving Natsu and Happy alone.

Natsu carefully slid back down until he was on his back, resting Happy on his chest, before giving a deep yawn and going to sleep, a peaceful expression on his childish face.

 _-line break-_

Over the next few days, Hisui would come to Natsu's bedside and the duo would practise reading, with Happy joining in as well. Afterwards, Natsu would have different food brought to him and found that everything in the palace, was delicious. Happy though, decided to stick to fish. He nearly cried tears of joy, when they brought in a seafood platter one day, which caused Natsu to nervously chuckle and ask for another, seeing the undisguised gluttony in his partner's eyes.

By the fourth day, Natsu had finally gotten well enough to get out of bed and finally took the time to bathe, in the ginormous golden bathtubs of the castle. It was also on this day, that Natsu discovered soap did not taste nice at all. Hisui found this very amusing, when he reported his findings on the matter, after his bath. Since his red shirt now had a hole in it, Natsu ditched it and now wore a long sleeved forest green shirt instead. When Toma had a tailor come in and measure Natsu, he had asked what colour shirt he wanted. Natsu had briefly glanced at Hisui, before giving his response, which caused Hisui to adopt a bashful expression and Toma to laugh in amusement.

By the end of the week, Natsu was now able to walk around the castle without pain, so Hisui decided to show him around. Natsu found the knight's training grounds particularly interesting and challenged those training to fights. Their laughter soon turned into groans of pain, as they underestimated the fiery character, who, even newly recovered, didn't understand the meaning of holding back. Needless to say, the knights found a reason to deny Natsu, whenever he asked for a rematch. Currently though, the duo, plus Happy, were in the library.

'Whoa, this place is huge!' Exclaimed Natsu in awe.

Hisui nodded, smiling, before informing Natsu about the library and its history.

'This library is hundreds of years old, it was built even before the formation of guilds. It has been looked after carefully since its creation, and restored wherever needed. There are books in here which would have turned to dust by now, if they weren't so immaculately maintained. Even those that have started to fade, have had copies of them made, so we can preserve their knowledge for the future.' Explained Hisui proudly.

'So, do you mean there will be books on dragons?' Asked Natsu excitedly.

'Yes, but they would most likely be very old.' Said Hisui, before leading Natsu to a corner of the library.

'This area has some of the oldest books in our library. If there is anything on dragons, it would most likely be here.' Said Hisui, before looking the shelves over.

Hisui took her time, looking the books over carefully, before pulling out three different books.

'Whoa, there's three of them.' Said Natsu in awe.

'Yes, I'm a bit surprised myself.' Commented Hisui, as she led Natsu, with Happy on his head, to a table.

The three books were then laid on the table, allowing Natsu to read them. One was titled Dragon Historia and was the largest out of the three, being more than four times as thick, than both of the others put together. The second was only forty or so pages and was titled the Dragon King Festival. The last book, was even thinner, being only fifteen pages long, but the title caught Natsu's eye.

'Whoa, a book on Dragon Slaying magic.' Said Natsu in awe, as he picked up the small book and opened it. Hisui squinted at the characters in confusion, before glancing at Natsu who was looking at it intently.

'Can you read this book, Natsu?' Questioned Hisui.

'Hmm, yeah, why, can't you?' Replied Natsu, received a shake of the head from Hisui.

'I can't, the characters all look strange to me.' Confessed Hisui.

'That's weird… how come I can read it then?' Asked Natsu thoughtfully.

'It could be due to the fact that you are a Dragon Slayer.' Suggested Hisui, to which Natsu nodded.

'Yeah, that must be it.' Said Natsu, before realising something.

'Well, since you can't read it, I can tell you that it is about Dragon Slaying techniques.' Said Natsu, as he flicked to the fourth page.

'This is a page of Fire Dragon Slaying techniques.' Said Natsu.

Hisui merely nodded, trusting Natsu, as she couldn't read it herself.

'I see.' Said Hisui, before glancing at the largest book and opening it.

Natsu watched Hisui for a moment and noticed that she was able to read her current book. With this is mind, Natsu turned his attention back to his.

Happy hopped off Natsu's head and looked at the two, who were now reading quietly and decided to read the third book they had found.

The trio sat there for over an hour, reading through their respective books. Natsu, had finished his book first, reading the information on Fire Dragon Slaying magic initially, before looking at the information on the other types of Dragon Slaying magic.

Fifteen minutes later, Happy finished his book as well and handed it to Natsu, before walking over to Hisui and reading her book with her.

Half an hour later, both Hisui and Natsu finished their current book and looked at each other.

'Wow, that book was quite the read.' Said Hisui, as she closed the large tome.

'I'll say, the one which had techniques was really interesting and the other one on the Dragon King Festival got me thinking about something.' Said Natsu.

'What is it? The Dragon King Festival was also mentioned in this book, but not in great depth.' Asked Hisui carefully.

'Well, it seems to talk about the festival relating to demons, dragons and mages all fighting each other… but in the picture of the painting, showing the events of the Dragon King Festival, there is only a person and a dragon… so where is the demon?' Asked Natsu in confusion, as he gave the book to Hisui, open to the picture in question.

Hisui studied the picture for a moment, before furrowing her eyebrows in annoyance.

'You're right. I wonder what that means. Does it mean to say that dragons are also demons? Or, that mages are in fact the demons… I can see why that caught your attention.' Said Hisui.

'Yeah, what about your book though, anything interesting? It looks pretty long.' Asked Natsu.

'It talks all about the history of the dragons. It even explains how Dragon Slayers came to be, however, the most troubling part is about Acnologia.' Said Hisui.

'Yeah, he was in this book too. A Dragon Slayer that transformed into an actual dragon from overusing his magic, killing all dragons indiscriminately, good and bad.' Said Natsu, with a frown.

'Do you think that might happen to you?' Asked Hisui.

'I don't think so. I mean, if he was fighting in a dragon civil war, he would need to fight all the time and use really powerful techniques often. I don't use my magic anywhere near as much as that, and I've still never needed to use any of my really destructive techniques to this day.' Said Natsu.

'Well, that is a fair point I suppose, moreover, perhaps you need to actually kill dragons, to trigger the transformation.' Hypothesised the Princess.

Her Dragon Slayer friend nodded his head in agreement.

'Just imagine though Natsu, if you had wings, you could fly like me.' Said Happy in excitement.

'Yeah, that would be pretty cool.' Said Natsu in agreement, giving a small nod, to the excited flying cat.

'What would you like to do now?' Asked Hisui.

Natsu hummed in thought for a moment, stroking his jaw.

'Well, I would like to go out looking for Igneel sometime, maybe go see a guild or something.' Said Natsu, getting Hisui to smile sadly.

'That being said, I wouldn't mind sticking around for a while as well.' Said Natsu, which caused Hisui to perk up.

'I could show you the gardens.' Suggested Hisui.

'Hmm, is there something to eat there?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'No, but it really is a sight to see, we can go now if you want?' Offered Hisui.

'Well, what do you think, Happy?' Asked Natsu.

'Aye.' Said Happy, raising a paw in the air, before his wings popped out of his back and he flew up to Natsu's head, before settling on his short, spiky hair.

'Okay, we'll go just after I put these books back.' Said Hisui, as she stood and collected the three books and put them back on their shelves, before gesturing for Natsu to follow her.

Hisui led Natsu through the many corridors of the castle with practised ease, following a path she had obviously taken many times before. Eventually, the trio reached a small garden, filled with pink, yellow and white, with a few other colours sprinkled in.

'This is my favourite garden in the palace. It is one of the smallest, but it has one of my favourite flowers.' Explained Hisui.

'Hey Natsu, those ones look like your hair.' Said Happy, hoping off Natsu's head and walking over to a small set of flowers.

'These are chrysanthemum, we have some in every garden and use a symbol of them for our official seal.' Explained Hisui.

'What about those?' Asked Natsu, pointing to a small group of white flowers.

'Those are also chrysanthemum.' Said Hisui.

'Eh? They're white though, didn't you say those were chrysanthemum before?' Asked Natsu, pointing to the flowers in question.

'Actually, all of the flowers here are different types of chrysanthemum. They're my favourite.' Said Hisui, with a smile.

'Wow, all of these are the same type of flower.' Said Natsu, as his eyes darted around and looked at the various plants.

'Hmm, those are interesting.' Said Natsu, as he spotted a small section on its own and walked over to it.

'Look Happy, these ones are green.' Said Natsu in surprise.

'Look Natsu, I found blue ones like me.' Said Happy in response.

'Yes, green chrysanthemum are rather rare. We only have them in this garden as well.' Hisui informed Natsu.

Natsu squinted at them for a moment, before glancing at Hisui, then back to the flowers, causing Hisui to look at him funnily.

'What is it?' Asked Hisui pleasantly.

'They're not the same.' Said Natsu simply, confusing Hisui.

'Not the same as what?' Asked Hisui curiously.

'You, their colour is duller.' Said Natsu simply, as he looked at Hisui with a focused gaze.

'How can you tell that? I think they are very similar.' Hisui said questioningly.

'Your hair and eyes have a richer colour, more like the forest, these are paler.' Explained Natsu.

'How can you discern that?' Asked Hisui in wonder.

'Must be my eyes, I guess being a Dragon Slayer helps me see things better and these flowers can't match you, Hisui.' Said Natsu cheerfully, as he scratched the back of his head.

Hisui smiled, blushing slightly, as she looked away.

'Thank you Natsu.' Said Hisui.

Natsu just grinned, before Happy walked over.

'Hey, what are you guys talking about?' Asked Happy curiously.

'Just about those green flowers and how they don't match Hisui.' Said Natsu, pointing to the flowers in question.

'Eh? What do you mean Natsu? They look the same.' Said Happy, glancing between the Princess and the flowers.

'No they don't.' Said Natsu.

'Look Natsu, they're green just like Hisui.' Said Happy.

'They are a different green though.' Rebutted Natsu.

Happy gave him a look of bewilderment.

'What do you mean? Green is green.' Said Happy naively.

'Well, I guess you can't see it, but I do.' Said Natsu happily.

'Ne, Hisui, what do you think?' Asked Happy curiously.

'Well, I think they are the same as well. However, if Natsu says they are different, I'll believe him. I trust him after all.' Said Hisui, with a soft smile.

'See Happy.' Said Natsu.

'I dunno…' Said Happy unsurely.

Natsu bent down and plucked one of the flowers, before placing it behind Hisui's ear.

'See Happy, completely different.' Said Natsu triumphantly.

'Natsu, they look the same.' Said Happy, with a deadpan expression.

'Nope, Hisui looks much better than the flower.' Countered Natsu, causing Hisui to blush once again.

'Hmm, if you say so… I still say they are the same colour… maybe you're talking about something other than colour.' Said Happy thoughtfully.

'Well of course Hisui is better than the flower, but the flower's colour pales in comparison to her.' Said Natsu.

'Whatever.' Said Happy, with a shrug, before his wings appeared and he floated to the top of Natsu's head.

'Where would you like to go now?' Asked Hisui curiously, before receiving her answer in the form of two grumbles.

'Food.' Whined both Natsu and Happy, to which Hisui giggled in amusement. 


	3. A Girl Named Meredy

**Ok, so with Uni kicking off, I can now make an accurate assessment on how much I can write. Given the massive amount of contact hours and the insane workload, I can really only write a little bit on the weekend. Given how I can get out about 3-5K words in the amount of time available to me, including time needed for proofreading, I should be able to update two or three times a month. I say two or three instead of four, because this week had no content in it and I figure since this week we will start getting actual material for Med, I may not be able to write at all on certain weekends. Basically, I'm keeping my expectations low. Two or three updates should be my minimum, but if I'm lucky, I might be able to get out four a month.**

 **I'd also like to thank my latest for their support. Once again… ah, wait a minute, I never explained the situation on this story…  
I've set up a , so people can support me. This serves the purpose of allowing me to be able to write, instead of getting a part time job, to pay for the costs of Med, which would cut into my writing time. There is a better explanatory note on my page, the link for which is on my profile page (or you can just google SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan ) but basically, the more support I get, the more I can write. I also wrote a chapter for this story in particular, as my newest particularly wanted this story updated.**

 **As far as other writing I did this weekend, I almost finished the next chapter for TTONU, so that will no doubt be the update for next week (or the week after, if this week is particularly heavy).**

 **Now, back to this story, I added Wendy and Chelia to the poll for the harem. I gave it a bit of thought and both would work. That being said, Wendy will not get frozen in Fairy Sphere, so she will age and mature appropriately. Also, for those of you thinking that is a bit weird, she is only five years younger than Natsu, which isn't that much. That being said, she is technically way older, if you are up to date with the manga…**

 **Well, that's all for now, enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 3 – A Girl Named Meredy

Natsu and Happy had spent the next few weeks exploring the castle with Hisui, who was more than happy to show them around. However, as Natsu started to become accustomed to his new surroundings, a mysterious letter, addressed to him and him alone, suddenly arrived. It was a plain letter, with the only word written on it being Natsu's name, written in simple black ink. The king had examined the letter and didn't find anything strange about it, so he decided to give it to Natsu. He didn't know the contents of the letter though, although, even if he did, he wouldn't have understood it. Toma made his way to Natsu and Hisui, who were once again, in the garden of Chrysanthemums. Toma smile as he saw the two sitting there in comfortable silence.

Before Natsu's arrival, Hisui had been a very kind and polite girl, but she had been terribly shy as well. However, now, it seemed some of Natsu's natural exuberance had rubbed off on her and she happily greeted everyone whose path they crossed. Whereas before she could only give a polite nod and a smile, she was now familiar with almost half the castle and had many conversations, with those who roamed the same hallways as her.

Happy had also taken well to life in the castle, frequently letting his gluttony get the best of him. It amused the king more than anything. They weren't exactly short of money and it still amused Toma that such a tiny creature, could consume more than its entire weight in fish.

'Natsu, a letter has come for you.' Announced Toma, surprising Hisui and getting Natsu's attention.

'A letter? For me? I don't know anyone outside the castle though.' Said Natsu in confusion.

'And why are you the one bringing the letter father? Surely someone else could have. You didn't need to trouble yourself.' Added Hisui.

'I am surprised myself my boy, but it really is addressed to you, see for yourself.' Said Toma, handing Natsu the letter.

'As for why I brought the letter myself, I wanted to see a certain someone, who seems to enjoy spending time with her new friend, more than anything else.' Said Toma cheerfully, causing Hisui to look away bashfully.

'Sorry, I didn't mea-' Started Hisui, only for Toma to interrupt her, as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

'Hisui, I'm not upset, in fact, I'm glad that you're happy. At the end of the day, as long as you are happy, so am I.' Said Toma kindly.

'I'm Happy too.' Added Happy, getting Toma to laugh.

The three all shared a small laugh, but it wasn't until they stopped, that they remembered there was a fourth person with them.

'Natsu, what is it?' Asked Hisui, seeing Natsu staring intently at the letter.

'This letter… it is telling me spots where Igneel might be. I don't know how though. Also, these places aren't even near each other… but the letter says that if I go to these places, I have a good chance of finding Igneel.' Said a stunned Natsu.

'Hmm, that's awfully convenient, are you sure you can trust this letter?' Asked Toma.

'I think…' Said Natsu uncertainly.

Happy then hopped onto Natsu's right shoulder and looked at the letter.

'Ne, Natsu, why does the letter look like a bunch of scribbles?' Asked Happy curiously.

'Wh-what do you mean, Happy?' Asked Natsu in surprise.

Hisui then approached Natsu from his left and looked at the letter as well.

'Natsu, I can't read it either. It is just like that book from the library, only you can read it.' Said Hisui, confirming Happy's observation.

Natsu was silent at this for a moment and furrowed his brows, giving the letter a quick read through again.

'I-I think I should go to these places then. If it is written so that only I can understand it, it must mean that it was written by someone with a connection to dragons… this is too much of an opportunity to pass up.' Said Natsu seriously.

'Hmm, you do make a compelling argument Natsu. Would you like any help getting to the places you need to visit?' Asked Toma.

'Nah, I'll be fine on foot, the letter also says it would be better for me to go on foot as well and try not to attract too much attention.' Said Natsu, shaking his head in a polite refusal.

'I see. When do you believe you will set off then?' Asked Toma, with Hisui listening very carefully.

'The letter says I should leave an hour after dusk, so no one sees me leave. Since no one ever saw me come to the castle, it makes sense that no one should see me leave either.' Said Natsu calmly.

'Very well, I'll make the arrangements for you to be able to leave unhindered and unnoticed. I only hope your search yields what you are searching for.' Said Toma.

Natsu smiled at the man, before noticing Hisui frowning off to his right.

'Don't worry Hisui, I'll be back before you know it. Happy would never let me hear the end of it, if we don't come back for fish.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

Hisui was momentarily startled by Natsu noticing her mood, before smiling upon hearing Natsu's words.

'I'm glad.' Said Hisui happily.

'Remember Natsu, you'll always be welcome here.' Added Toma.

'Thanks.' Said Natsu, giving a toothy grin.

Toma excused himself after that and headed back into the castle, leaving the trio of younglings behind.

Natsu noticed Hisui had stopped smiling and seemed sad, despite what had just been said.

'Hisui.' Said Natsu, getting Hisui to look at him again.

'Let's make a deal.' Said Natsu, confusing Hisui.

'Every time I go out to search for Igneel, I'll promise to come back to you, if you do one thing for me.' Said Natsu, confusing Hisui.

'What is it?' Asked Hisui curiously.

'I'll come back, just as long as you promise to give me a smile when I leave and a smile when I come back. Sound fair?' Said Natsu.

Hisui blinked in surprise for a minute, before a smile slowly spread across her face.

'Okay.' Said Hisui softly.

 _-line break-_

Under the cover of dusk, a Dragon Slayer and his blue furred companion left the castle silently. The boy's green shirt camouflaged him well amongst the various plants and it only took the pair ten minutes to exit Mercurius. After they had safely gotten out of view of the castle and started to near the edge of Crocus, Natsu slowed down to a comfortable walk.

'Natsu, where are we going now?' Asked Happy quietly, from atop Natsu's head.

'Apparently, a town really far north of here. There was no name given, but the letter said it should smell like charcoal, so I'll find it eventually I guess.' Said Natsu softly.

'Why would a town smell like charcoal though? Do they do a lot of cooking?' Asked Happy in curiosity.

'Maybe… maybe they do a lot of roasting or something. Like grilled meat, or grilled fish.' Said Natsu, drifting off towards the end, as he started to salivate.

'Natsu, now you made me hungry.' Whined Happy cutely.

'Ah, sorry about that buddy, we can't stop now though… I'll make sure to get you some fish soon though.' Said Natsu, to which Happy started to drool.

'Faster Natsu, faster.' Cheered Happy quietly.

'Yeah, faster.' Muttered Natsu, picking up speed.

 _-line break-_

The days passed slowly for the duo. Natsu walked at a steady pace and they only stopped to catch some food along the way and take a few short naps here and there. Natsu was still a little uncomfortable listening to a letter, that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, written in a language that only he could read, but any chance to find Igneel was a chance he couldn't pass up, no matter how slim it may be.

The further the duo travelled, the more the landscape changed. Immediately around Crocus, there had been mountains and rocky terrain, coupled with numerous exotic plants, all of which were flourishing. The further north they got though, the more the landscape became barren. First the trees had started to shrink and become slightly withered, followed by fewer and fewer water sources. Luckily, the animals were still plentiful, meaning Natsu and Happy didn't go hungry, but more aggressive animals were beginning to emerge. Only yesterday, Natsu had spotted a Forest Vulcan. Natsu had decided to sneak by, rather than confront the creature, as the letter had stated that Natsu would want to be as stealthy as possible, when approaching each place listed in the map.

It was now late in the afternoon and Natsu's nose had finally started to pick up the scent of charcoal, however, it smelt very fresh and was mixed with other smells.

'Happy, I think we are almost there, be careful and quiet. It might be Igneel… but I'm actually getting a bad feeling about this… make sure you stick with me.' Said Natsu, to his companion, who gave a soft aye of agreement.

Natsu locked on to the scent and started to run in its direction, his feet barely making any sound at all against the ground, in the soft brown shoes he had gotten from the castle, along with his green shirt and tan shorts, with light blue trim. Eventually, Natsu realised where the smell of charcoal was coming from and as he neared the smell, he suppressed a small gag, as he picked up another scent.

"Burnt hair and clothing… and blood. This can't be Igneel, but who could do this?" Thought Natsu in anger.

Natsu climbed over a small cliff and finally saw the source of the smell. It was a town all right, a town that smelt like charcoal, just as the letter had said. A town that was in ruins and on fire. A town from which Natsu could hear faint cries of panic and fear. A town from which Natsu could hear crying. A town from which Natsu could hear very faint maniacal laughter.

Natsu dropped all pretence of stealth at this point and charged down the hill at full speed, his scarf waving behind him wildly, with Happy gripping on to his hair for dear life. Natsu quickly passed through the crumbling wooden structures, which marked the entrance of the town and tried to locate any nearby people. Natsu ran through the town, desperately searching for survivors, but there was nothing. Dead silence, emphasis on the dead, as it seemed there had been no survivors. Natsu gave a soft growl, before stopping suddenly. Natsu strained his hearing to his absolute limit and heard a very faint sound, the very faint sound of someone crying. Natsu made his way to the sound, this time, being extremely stealthy. If whatever had destroyed this town was still around, Natsu didn't want to meet it. The fire it used felt off to Natsu, almost unnatural, which was also why he didn't try to consume any of it, being nervous about what it might do.

Natsu eventually located the crying, which had been steadily increasing in volume, as Natsu neared it. As Natsu turned around a building, he found the source of the noise, a small girl, with hair that resembled his own. She wore red earmuffs and boots along with a slightly tattered cream button-up shirt and blue shorts. She appeared to have a few scuffs and cuts on her legs and hands, but was otherwise unharmed.

'Shh, be quiet, or whatever did this will find you.' Whispered Natsu, as he approached the girl.

The girl gave a hiccup at this and stopped her wailing, but tears continued to fall from her eyes.

'W-who ar-re you?' Asked the girl fearfully.

'I'm Natsu and I'm here to get you out of here. It's dangerous and we need to leave.' Said Natsu softly.

'Aye and I'm Happy.' Chirped Happy, from atop Natsu's head.

The girl noticed Happy for the first time and looked at him in wonderment.

'Ah, look what we have here, a couple of little kids. Too bad neither of you is going to leave here.' Cackled a new arrival.

Natsu whirled around to locate the sound of the voice and saw a rather strange looking man. He had long and spiky blond hair, which reached down to his lower back, along with red pupils, consisting of several concentric circles. His attire consisted of a yellow and dark blue skirt-like armour, with a red waist ribbon, which exposed the right side of his chest, as well as his right shoulder.

'Don't be so rash Zancrow, these two show a great amount of magic potential.' Said a woman from Zancrow's right.

The woman had a voluptuous figure, which was shown through her choice of attire, a deep purple dress, which showed much of her flawless pale skin. Her hair was a much darker purple and her brown eyes studied the two intensely.

'Doesn't that mean they're dangerous?' Added a nervous man.

The man was very large and wore a large dark robe. His skin was also chalk white and his black hair was very messy.

'Kain, you are a member of the Kin of Purgatory, please try to act like it.' Said the woman tiredly.

'S-sorry.' Stuttered the large man nervously.

'Come on Ultear, that's how Kain is, although, why we are not burning these kids to a crisp right now, is beyond me.' Said Zancrow, as black flames engulfed his hands.

'So you are the ones who destroyed this town! I could feel your magic, those weird flames of yours are all over this place.' Said Natsu, glaring at Zancrow.

'So? What's a little kid like you going to do about it?' Taunted Zancrow.

'I'll stop you!' Declared Natsu strongly.

'Now, now, there is no need to be hasty.' Intervened Ultear.

'Eh, come on Ultear, to get the key, we need to wipe these brats out.' Cackled Zancrow.

'Perhaps, however, they could both be valuable allies to us.' Said Ultear calmly.

'I would never ally with mages, who slaughter innocent people.' Said Natsu firmly.

'There, that's one down, can we finish the job already?' Questioned Zancrow irritably.

Ultear looked at the girl who had been quietly sniffling. The girl noticed Ultear's gaze and moved to hide behind Natsu.

'*sigh* Fine then, do what you want Zancrow.' Said Ultear, turning on her heel and leaving.

Kain gave a quick glance to Natsu and the girl, before looking to Zancrow and quickly following after Ultear.

'Well kid, looks like you're out of luck.' Said Zancrow confidently.

'Happy, get out of here and take her with you. I'll find the two of you after I deal with this guy.' Said Natsu.

Zancrow cackled madly at this.

'You think you can beat me? You've lost your mind kid.' Said Zancrow in amusement.

'Natsu, are you sure you can do this?' Asked Happy nervously.

'Aye sir.' Said Natsu, with a smirk.

Happy smiled at this and reluctantly hopped off Natsu's head, before walking over to the little girl.

'Hi, I'm Happy, what's your name?' Asked Happy cheerfully.

'M-Meredy.' Sniffled the little girl.

'That's a nice name. Meredy, we should go now, Natsu can handle this.' Said Happy brightly.

Meredy looked at Natsu uncertainly, before looking at Happy's bright grin.

'O-okay.' Said the girl, before Happy led her away.

Natsu continued to stare at Zancrow unflinchingly.

'Why'd you let her go away? Especially if you already killed everyone else in this town.' Asked Natsu, with narrowed eyes.

'Hahaha, it doesn't matter if she gets away for now, I'll deal with you in a minute and then track her down easily. No one ever escapes Zancrow, the Flame God Slayer!' Boasted Zancrow, holding his hands out to the side.

'Flame God Slayer! There's no way a God would teach someone like you magic!' Shouted Natsu in outrage.

'Of course not, I learnt this magic on my own.' Said Zancrow mockingly.

'Then you're a fake! I am the Fire Dragon Slayer and I learnt my magic from a real dragon, Igneel, the king of all Fire Dragons!' Declared Natsu.

'A dragon? Haha, don't you know the basics kid, God trumps dragon every time.' Said Zancrow gleefully.

'Yeah, but you aren't a real God, so I will beat you.' Declared Natsu.

'Is that what you think? Take this then, **Flame God's Explosive Flame**!' Said Zancrow, as he gathered a ball of black fire in his right hand, before launching it forward.

Natsu hesitated for a moment. Fire couldn't hurt him. Although, was it really worth tanking a hit just because of that? When he walked through the town, the flames felt weird to him, so Natsu decided it would be best for him to dodge the attack, which he barely did, diving off to the right, as the flames suddenly expanded and engulfed the area he had been previously, incinerating everything struck by the attack.

Natsu quickly got up and placed both his hands in front of his mouth.

' **Fire Dragon's Roar**.' Cried Natsu, launching a stream of orange flames at Zancrow.

The insane man further cemented this idea in Natsu's mind, when he let the attack hit him.

As Natsu let up on his attack, he could hear the man laughing, before the laughter suddenly ceased and a slurping sound was heard. Natsu watched in undisguised shock, as his attack was being consumed, right before his very eyes.

'Nice try kid, but God trumps dragon, too bad for you. I can eat your flames, but you can't eat mine.' Said Zancrow.

'Eat this then, **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**!' Shouted Natsu, engulfing his right fist in flames and slamming it into Zancrow's mid-section.

Zancrow was pushed back slightly from the attack, but the flames had no effect on him.

'Nice try kid, but it isn't going to work.' Laughed Zancrow, before grabbing Natsu by his wrist and throwing him away.

Zancrow waved his arms in a circular manner, black fire trailing off them, before bringing them together over the centre of his chest, creating a ball of fire, which quickly shifted into a massive scythe of black flames. Zancrow then swung the scythe at Natsu, who was still airborne. Natsu was struck by the attack and felt it burning him. The attack sliced the tops of the buildings to either side of Natsu as well, but Natsu's mind was currently in turmoil.

"It burns… how can it burn? This doesn't make any sense." Thought Natsu, as his back crashed into the ground.

'I'd say you put up a good fight kid, but you really didn't.' Cackled Zancrow, as he approached Natsu's downed form.

Natsu clenched the ground on either side of him, before flattening his hands against the ground and pushed himself up into a seated position.

Zancrow smirked as Natsu slowly made his way to his left knee first, before pushing off it and standing up.

'I'm not done yet.' Panted Natsu.

'Haha, you're more stupid than I thought kid. I'm stronger than you, can eat your flames and can't be hurt by your attacks, while you're weaker than me, can't eat my flames and can be hurt by my attacks. You stand no chance.' Mocked Zancrow.

Natsu ignored him and chanted something softly under his breath before shouting.

' **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame**!' Announced Natsu, as he slammed his two flaming hands together and created a massive ball of fire above his head.

Natsu reared his arms back as the ball quickly expanded in size, easily dwarfing Natsu, before swinging his hands forward, launching the flaming ball at Zancrow.

Zancrow merely laughed as the attack neared him, letting it engulf him completely. Natsu was breathing heavily, his small body was not yet strong enough to sustain him using three of his most powerful attacks in such quick succession, without a source of fire to replenish himself with. Add to that the damage Natsu had taken from Zancrow's flames and Natsu was quite tired now, barely keeping himself upright. As the familiar sound of slurping reached Natsu's ears, he grimaced, seeing his attack being funnelled away, into the mouth of the God Slayer.

'What's the matter kid, tired? Here, why don't I give you a little snack? **Flame God's Supper**!' Cried Zancrow, grinning manically, before clasping his hands together, which launched a mouth-shaped attack of black flames at Natsu, trapping him within spherically-shaped black flames.

Natsu cried out in pain, feeling the flames burn away at him. Natsu shut his eyes tightly and grit his teeth, trying to hold on against the onslaught.

'In less than a minute, you're going to be ash kid, so say your prayers!' Laughed Zancrow.

"No… this can't be the end…" Thought Natsu weakly.

Natsu saw Igneel's scaly back in his mind.

"Igneel… will I really never find you?" Thought Natsu sadly.

Happy suddenly appeared in Natsu's mind, a fish held in his mouth.

"Happy… are we really never going to go fishing again?" Thought Natsu softly.

Hisui's smiling visage popped into Natsu's mind at that point.

"Hisui… the first person who believed me about Igneel… my first human friend… am I really going to never see you again." Thought Natsu uncertainly.

Natsu's eyes suddenly snapped open, glowing with a red hue.

"I will not lose here!" Thought Natsu fiercely, before opening his mouth wide and swallowing the flames currently burning him.

Zancrow's laughter slowly started to die down, as he noticed his attack was getting smaller and smaller. As the attack continued to shrink, he saw the runt inside, who should have been incinerated by now, consuming his attack.

'What the hell is this rubbish?' Shouted Zancrow in shock, watching his attack reduced to only a small sphere, which barely engulfed the young Dragon Slayer, before being sucked away completely.

' **Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame God's Blade**! Cried Natsu, swiping his arms in a circular fashion, creating a powerful, and highly destructive, torrent of flames, which rushed Zancrow.

The flames themselves though were not Natsu's normal flames, or at least, the flames from his right hand weren't, as they were black, the same flames that Zancrow had been using. The dual orange and black flames swirled around each other, before they slammed into Zancrow. Zancrow couldn't escape the attack. The flames burned the God Slayer, much to his shock. Natsu kept rotating until finally, Zancrow was launched away.

Natsu stood victoriously for a moment, before slumping to his knees, quickly followed by him landing on all fours, barely able to hold himself up. Natsu pulled whatever dregs of energy he had left and made his way to his feet. Natsu then looked around and noticed there was still fire all around him. Deciding that it was worth the risk, Natsu walked over to a section of black flames and inhaled deeply, sucking the black flames into his gaping maw.

Natsu felt himself rejuvenated slightly and took a quick sniff, before stumbling his way towards the scent of Happy and the mysterious girl, who had somehow survived the Flame God Slayer's attack.

 _-line break-_

Ultear and Kain turned around as they heard a body slam into the ground near them. The two turned around and were deeply surprised to see it was Zancrow.

'Do you mean to tell me a little kid beat you, Zancrow?' Questioned Ultear in disbelief.

'Tch, he didn't beat me, he just got a lucky shot in.' Grumbled Zancrow, getting to his feet and dusting himself off.

'Well, in any case, it seems we won't be successful today. Did you manage to get the name of the boy who beat you?' Asked Ultear calmly.

'Natsu, a Dragon Slayer apparently. Nothing special, compared to me at least.' Said Zancrow uncaringly, as he straightened himself and stopped dusting off his clothes.

'Hmm, how interesting. Well, we might as well head back for now.' Said Ultear calmly, before Kain and Zancrow nodded and the three left the burning town behind them.

 _-line break-_

Natsu could feel himself weakening. His body was exhausted and even with the quick snack he had before leaving the town, he had exhausted his reserves of energy and taken a lot of damage. The scent Natsu had been following had stopped, so Natsu knew he was close now. As he passed a few trees, entering into the forest just outside of the village, Natsu finally spotted the source of the scent.

'Happy.' Said Natsu tiredly, causing the blue creature to turn around and face Natsu.

'Natsu, you did it!' Cheered Happy, flying at Natsu and hugging him around the neck.

Natsu raised his left hand and weakly patted Happy's back. Happy then quickly hopped onto Natsu's left shoulder, letting Natsu see the girl they had saved.

'Hi, I'm Natsu.' Said Natsu tiredly.

'Hello, I'm Meredy… thank you for helping me.' Said Meredy shyly.

'Well, I couldn't just let them hurt you… besides, what they did was wrong and someone needed to stop them.' Said Natsu softly.

'Thank you.' Repeated Meredy.

'Don't mention it, but we should get going, we don't want to stick around here, in case they come looking for us.' Said Natsu, as Happy hopped off his shoulder.

'Aye sir! Follow me then Natsu, I found a great spot to hide and rest for a bit.' Declared Happy.

'Good… Happy… night.' Muttered Natsu, before falling face first, unconscious. 


	4. Solar Power

**Not much to say this chapter, just going to clear up a few queries from last chapter.**

 **Everyone is canon age to start with. In the same way Goku went from looking like a kid, to looking like an adult in two years, so will Natsu. The reason Ultear looks mature already, is because girls go through puberty faster and appear older, earlier.**

 **Not going to say who the note is from, but feel free to speculate, that being said, by the end of this chapter, some of you will be able to pick it up. This is a key plot point though, so I won't ever outright say it, until it is revealed in the story.**

 **Those were the real major points from last chapter. If you want to ask anything, feel free, but if it is an important plot point, I won't say.**

 **Enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 4 – Solar Power

Natsu jolted up with a start, completely disoriented. The last thing he remembered, was meeting back up with Happy and that girl. Natsu scrunched his face up, trying to remember her name. Melody? Marie? Merry? No, that wasn't it. Natsu shook his head in annoyance, before sitting up and assessing his surroundings. It was a small cave. Actually, the cave was rather big, but the entrance to it was pretty small. A child would have been able to enter comfortably, but an adult would have to stoop quite low to get in, almost crawl, if they were too tall. Natsu could see the sun starting to rise, allowing soft orange light to enter the mouth of the cave, partially illuminating it.

The increased lighting helped Natsu notice two things. Firstly, the girl he had saved was actually right next to him, less than half an arm's length away. It would have no doubt been cold and Natsu naturally gave off heat, so that explained that. What Natsu was curious about, was why Happy was comfortably wrapped up in a hug by the girl, who was, for all intents and purposes: a complete stranger.

Natsu sat there in thought for a bit, before looking through his pockets for something. Natsu pulled out the letter he had gotten and quickly skimmed it again.

"Let's see, place that smelled like charcoal… check. A girl with pink hair named Meredy… oh, so that's her name I guess." Thought Natsu.

Natsu put his letter away, before pulling it back out in disbelief.

"What the hell, how could this thing know her name already?" Questioned Natsu in shock, before skimming it again.

Natsu looked at the letter suspiciously, before skipping down to the last line.

"If you follow what this letter says, you will find out the truth about Igneel and yourself." Natsu read once again, in his head.

"I don't get what I'd want to know about myself, I just want to know where Igneel is." Thought Natsu in confusion, before putting the letter away again.

The sound of shuffling alerted Natsu to the fact that Meredy, was waking up. Natsu shuffled back slightly, giving her ample space to stretch, as she woke up. She gave a small yawn and rubbed her eyes cutely, before looking at Natsu.

'Uh, hi again.' Said Natsu sheepishly.

'Hello.' Said Meredy shyly, looking down at Happy, now resting on her lap, before looking up again quickly.

'Oh, you're awake. Are you okay?' Asked Meredy, with a hint of worry in her tone.

'Yeah, I'm fine, a good rest was all I needed. What about you though?' Responded Natsu.

Meredy looked to the floor, as a small frown marred her features. Her town was gone, nothing but a pile of ash and crumbling wood. Meredy brought her arms to her body, hugging her arms lightly.

'It's all gone.' Muttered Meredy softly.

Natsu didn't say anything, letting Meredy come to grips with things on her own. Meredy continued to stare at the ground, in contemplation for a minute, before a soft yawn broke her out of her thoughts.

'Natsu, we need fish.' Mumbled Happy sleepily, before sitting up, rubbing his cheek with his paw, as he regained awareness.

'Natsu!' Cried Happy, who, upon spotting Natsu, leapt at him and tackled him into a hug.

'Hey buddy, morning, how're you feeling?' Asked Natsu cheerfully.

'Natsu, why are you asking me that, when you are the one who collapsed?' Questioned Happy in confusion.

'Well, I guess I was just worried, you didn't get to have dinner after all.' Said Natsu simply.

'Ah! You're right! Let's go fishing, Natsu. I saw a place on the way here.' Exclaimed Happy in excitement.

'Whoa, calm down, Happy. Besides, we have someone with us now. Don't you think it would be nice to ask her what she wants?' Asked Natsu.

Meredy blinked in surprise at this, before Happy walked over to her.

'Ne, Meredy, you want fish, right?' Asked Happy cutely, raising his paw to his mouth.

'Why'd you two help me?' Asked Meredy, after a moment.

'That's just what we do. We aren't going to sit there when someone is in trouble, right Happy?' Answered Natsu.

'Aye sir!' Chimed Happy in agreement.

'But why?' Asked Meredy in confusion.

'Well, Igneel always told me it was better to help people, than to hurt people. Hurting people doesn't help you after all, it only makes others feel bad. Helping people on the other hand, helps that person and also makes you feel good.' Explained Natsu.

'That and a letter told us to go to that place.' Added Happy.

'A letter?' Meredy repeated in confusion.

'Yeah. You see, I'm looking for my dad, Igneel and I got a letter a few days ago, which told me that if I did everything in it, I'd find him. There was also something about the truth or something, but I don't really care about that.' Said Natsu, with a grin.

'…What are you supposed to do next?' Asked Meredy curiously.

'Hmm, I think it said something about a sun… yeah, that was it Sun Village.' Said Natsu thoughtfully, rubbing his chin in thought.

'Where's that?' Asked Meredy.

'Dunno, but the letter said it was somewhere east of here and would smell like fire.' Said Natsu.

Meredy shivered slightly at that. Fire. Fire had utterly devastated her town and almost led to her death… and it had led to the death of everyone she knew. Meredy could feel an unmistakable feeling of panic gripping her, as she flashed back to the charred and bleeding bodies she had seen. Buildings crushing bones, flames grilling flesh. Meredy could feel the beginnings of tears at the back of her eyes, as panic started to drown her mind and soul, only for a warm hand on her shoulder, to pull her right out of it.

'Are you okay?' Asked Natsu softly, a small frown on his face.

It was Natsu's right hand on her shoulder, which had pulled her out of her fear. Even though Meredy could sense flames within the boy opposite her, they didn't scare her like the ones that had destroyed her village, in fact, she felt soothed by them, warmed. Meredy paused for a moment, puzzling on this feeling she felt. How exactly did she feel fire from Natsu? Why could she feel reassuring warmth and concern from his form? Meredy blinked a few more times in confusion, before softly shaking her head.

'I'm fine.' Said Meredy softly.

'Oh, good. You had me worried there for a minute.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

Meredy didn't know what to say, she felt odd. It was a foreign feeling, but for some reason, she felt safe around Natsu. It might have been because he undoubtedly saved her life, but Meredy felt there was something else about it. An almost intrinsic ability of sorts.

'Well, we might as well get out there now and get some food. Those three are long gone, or at least, I can't smell them near here anymore.' Declared Natsu, standing up.

'Fish…' Drooled Happy in excitement.

'So, you coming with us?' Asked Natsu curiously, a smile on his face.

Meredy stared at Natsu for a good minute. Looking back, she didn't know why she trusted Natsu. It might have been their similar hair colours, it might have been his infectious smile, or it could have been something as simple, as her liking his sunny disposition… despite this, Meredy felt there was a more intrinsic reason for it, magical almost. As if something was resonating, or sensing something within Natsu, which made her feel at ease.

'Okay.' Answered Meredy, a shy smile tugging at the sides of her lips.

 _-line break-_

After a quick breakfast, which consisted of some freshly caught fish and a few berries Meredy knew were safe to eat, the newly formed trio had set off.

'So… you're just following what the letter says?' Asked Meredy curiously.

'Yup, I didn't really have any other clues and this is the best lead I've gotten so far.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'Aye, no one wanted to help us for a long time.' Added Happy, from atop Natsu's head.

'Don't you worry about who sent it? What if it is a trap?' Asked Meredy.

'Well, it's actually written in a special language that only Dragon Slayers can read.' Said Natsu, pulling out the letter and showing it to Meredy.

Meredy squinted at the funny characters in confusion.

'I don't understand any of it.' Admitted Meredy.

'Yeah, Happy and Hisui couldn't either.' Said Natsu.

'Aye.' Confirmed Happy.

'So where are we going now then?' Asked Meredy.

'To a nearby town, once we get there, I can ask them where east is and head in that direction.' Said Natsu.

'Well, east should be that way, since the sun is rising from over there.' Said Meredy, pointing towards the horizon.

'Really? How'd you know that?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'The sun always rises in the east.' Said Meredy simply.

'Huh, I didn't know that… alright then, east it is.' Said Natsu thoughtfully, changing direction slightly, so he was now heading towards the sun.

The trio trudged through the somewhat mountainous terrain for a while, in silence. Meredy was still trying to reconcile the past twenty-four hours, while Natsu was content to quietly make his way to their destination. Happy had dozed off in the meantime, snoring peacefully atop Natsu's head.

'So, what kind of magic do you use?' Asked Natsu, after an hour of silence.

'What do you mean? I don't use magic.' Answered Meredy in confusion.

'But I can feel it, you're full of magic. Even those three felt it, you're bursting with magic. What do you mean you don't use magic?' Questioned Natsu in surprise.

'I've never used magic before. No one… back there… could.' Said Meredy softly.

"That must have been why no one could put up a fight against one guy." Thought Natsu in contemplation.

'So, you've never felt strange before, like you could do, or see, or feel something, which others couldn't?' Queried Natsu.

'Not really… but I can sort of feel something from you… fire and warmth.' Said Meredy.

'Wow, that's amazing. I never told you I was a Fire Dragon Slayer.' Said Natsu in awe.

'Um, what is a Dragon Slayer exactly?' Asked Meredy cautiously.

'I'm a Dragon Slayer. I got taught how to use fire from my dad, Igneel, who is the Fire Dragon King.' Said Natsu proudly.

'Your dad… Igneel… he's a dragon?' Asked Meredy nervously.

'Yeah, but don't worry, he is really nice, he loves humans.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'Okay.' Said Meredy timidly.

'But yeah, other than that, I can eat fire and I'm supposed to be immune to fire… but for some reason… that weird guys fire actually burned me and I don't know why.' Said Natsu seriously.

'Was that the first time you got burned?' Asked Meredy.

'Yeah, ever since I could remember, fire could never hurt me… but that guy's fire wasn't normal either.' Said Natsu contemplatively.

Natsu suddenly stopped in place and gave a few quick sniffs.

'Hey, I think I found that scent. I can smell fire, but not smoke or anything else, like a massive flame is burning on its own.' Said Natsu in surprise.

'Are you sure this is the place you're looking for?' Asked Meredy curiously.

'Only one way to find out for sure. Let's go.' Said Natsu.

Natsu quickly led Meredy through an increasingly mountainous terrain. Lucky, there was a path through them all, but the sight of towering mountains on either side of them, unnerved Meredy.

Eventually, the two started to see a village in the distance and quickened their pace. The duo climbed over one last hill and saw the beauty of the village on the horizon. The village was made largely out of stone, with various buildings of varying size. Some buildings were exceedingly large, even in Natsu's childish eyes. There were a few wooden fixtures here and there, one of which was holding up a large bell on top of a stone building. There was also straw scattered around in a few locations, making the area feel like something out of the Middle Ages.

'Come on Meredy, let's check it out!' Exclaimed Natsu, before hopping off the small ledge they were on and making his way down. Meredy tentatively did the same, slowly creeping off the hill-side, onto the few ledges scattered along the sheer wall. It was at least two metres down, so Meredy really didn't want to slip, but alas, she did.

'Ahh!' Screamed Meredy, as she lost her footing, plummeting to the ground.

Natsu quickly whirled around and Happy sleepily opened his eyes. As Meredy grew closer and closer to the ground, she closed her eyes with a wince, preparing for impact, only to feel herself suddenly stopped. Opening her eyes, she saw red rope of some sort, wrapped tightly around her waist. Meredy was gently lowered to the ground, before the rope started to retreat. Meredy quickly followed sight of the rope, only to briefly see a flash of red, before it disappeared as well.

'Are you okay, Meredy?' Asked Natsu worriedly, as he rushed over to the girl.

'I'm okay.' Said Meredy slowly, trying to reconcile what had just happened.

'Okay, but stick close to me and if I go to fast, tell me to slow down, I don't want you to get hurt.' Said Natsu sternly.

'Okay.' Said Meredy bashfully.

"What was that, which caught me though?" Wondered Meredy, glancing over to where she had last spotted, the flash of red.

'Well, we might as well keep going and see what we can find in this village.' Said Natsu.

'Aye sir!' Exclaimed the now wide awake Happy.

The trio made their way into the village, expecting to be greeted with lots of people milling around, but the place was completely empty.

'This isn't exactly what I was expecting.' Muttered Natsu, sniffing around to try and find any scents.

'Well, I smell that weird fire over there, let's go check it out.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.

Meredy absentmindedly nodded, as she was feeling… something again. It was like that eerie feeling a person got when they felt that someone was watching them, only it felt ten times stronger to Meredy. Meredy squinted her eyes a little, unknowingly focusing her magical power. Suddenly snapping her gaze to the right, she saw a flash of red retreat behind a few buildings.

'Meredy, what is it?' Asked Natsu curiously.

Meredy blinked, realising Natsu had already made his way away from her, before quickly jogging over to him.

'It's nothing.' Said Meredy, before matching Natsu's pace.

As the trio continued to make their way through the village, Natsu was genuinely confused as to why there was no one else around.

Continuing to follow his nose, Natsu turned the corner of a building and stopped suddenly, causing Meredy to walk into him.

'Why did you stop?' Asked Meredy, rubbing her face, as she stepped out beside Natsu, only to look in the same direction Natsu was, in shock. There, in front of them, was a towering flame. The flame was hundreds of metres high and reached high into the sky.

'That's… a big flame.' Muttered Natsu in awe.

Natsu carefully made his way over to the flame, in wonder. Natsu had seen his fair share of fiery conflagrations. That being said, he had never seen anything like this.

Natsu's nose suddenly twitched though, as he smelt something from the flame.

"Dragon." Thought Natsu in shock, rushing closer to the fire.

Natsu stopped only a few steps away from the fire, gazing at it searchingly.

'What is it Natsu?' Asked Meredy, walking up to Natsu's left.

'This flame… it feels like a dragon.' Said Natsu slowly.

'I-it's the Eternal Flame.' Said a shy voice, causing both Natsu and Meredy to look to the right.

A shy looking red haired girl was standing there, her arms held protectively in front of her body, as she eyed the two nervously.

'Who are you?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'I'm Flare.' Said the red eyed girl, clad only in a simple, purple dress.

'Flare… wait a minute.' Said Natsu thoughtfully, before rummaging through his pockets.

'Hi, I'm Meredy.' Said Meredy, giving a smile to the nervous girl.

'I'm Happy!' Exclaimed Happy, jumping off Natsu's head, surprising Flare.

'He's Natsu.' Added Happy, as he landed beside Natsu and pointed his chubby fist in Natsu's direction.

Natsu had finally pulled out the letter from his pocket and quickly started to scan it.

'Were you the one who saved me?' Asked Meredy curiously.

Flare shyly nodded.

'Aha! Flare, that's your name!' Exclaimed Natsu suddenly, startling Flare.

'Natsu, obviously that's her name, she just told us.' Said Happy childishly.

'No, Flare was the name in the letter. I thought it was referring to a real fire, but it must have been Flare.' Said Natsu.

'A letter?' Asked Flare curiously.

'Yeah, it is a letter I got a few days ago, that will help me find my dad. That's also how I found Meredy.' Explained Natsu.

'Flare, why are you alone here?' Asked Meredy shyly.

'I'm not… alone…' Started Flare, before trailing off and looking to the ground.

Happy walked over to Flare, before looking up at her.

'Ne, Flare, do you want to come with us?' Asked Happy cutely.

Flare was slightly startled by the blue creature and her hair rose up quickly. Happy blinked in surprise, while Natsu made a sound of excitement.

'Oh, is that your magic?' Asked Natsu excitedly.

'Uh, yes, it was gifted to me by the Eternal Flame.' Explained Flare uncomfortably, as her hair settled down.

'Hey, want to see mine.' Said Natsu, before walking over to the flame and taking a bite out of it.

Flare gasped in shock, at Natsu's actions, before Natsu launched a breath of fire into the air.

'I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer!' Cheered Natsu in excitement.

 **'Hmm, is that you Igneel?' Boomed a deep voice, shocking the four.**

The four looked around in surprise for a moment, before Natsu spoke up.

'Hey! Who are you and how do you know Igneel?' Shouted Natsu.

 **'Me? I'm the dragon someone just took a bite out of.' Boomed the voice, causing Natsu to look at the flames.**

The flames morphed, growing in size, before forming what appeared to be a fiery face.

'Whoa, that's so cool… hey, big fire thingy, are you a dragon?' Asked Natsu.

 **'Hmm, you're not Igneel, but you do smell awfully like him.' Said the fire, appearing to stare down at Natsu.**

'Igneel's my dad after all. I'm looking for him, do you know where he is?' Asked Natsu in excitement.

 **'Hmm, no, I can't say that I do. I have perished long ago, only an echo of my soul remains, that which you see before you now. Igneel was a close friend of mine though… you do smell like him though and if you are truly his son, then it is only right I introduce myself. I am Atlas Flame, the creator of this village.' Said the fire.**

'Eternal Flame?' Said Flare questioningly.

 **'Hmm, I feel some of my power within you… I see, I unconsciously blessed you in my rest. Who are you human?' Asked Atlas.**

'I-I'm Flare. Flare Corona.' Said Flare shyly.

 **'I see.' Said Atlas thoughtfully, before Natsu spoke up again.**

'So you don't know where Igneel is?' Asked Natsu despondently.

 **'No, sorry young Dragon Slayer, I do not. I do know Igneel though and he is far too prideful to have perished silently, especially if you are his son… I cannot say where he might be, but you should be able to find him, all you will need to do, is look within yourself.' Said Atlas.**

'How'd you know I was a Dragon Slayer?' Asked Natsu.

 **'Only Igneel has ever been able to consume my flames, as you did. Being his son, you must have been trained by him, it is only natural.' Answered Atlas.**

 **'You, young girl. I sense a longing in you to explore. If you wish to see new things, I can guarantee you will be safe with the son of Igneel.' Said Atlas, turning to Flare.**

Flare looked surprised for a minute, before looking shyly to Natsu.

 **'As for you, young Dragon Slayer, let me help you. I sense an unstable flame within you. I will stabilise it and allow you to use it as you see fit. Consider it a gift from your uncle… hopefully it will help you find Igneel.' Said Atlas, before a wisp of fire slithered off the main body of fire and wrapped around Natsu, before sinking into his very being.**

 **'Now, I'm afraid I must rest. Good luck on your journeys, young Dragon Slayer.' Said Atlas, before the face in the flames vanished and the flames shrunk slightly, looking as they had before Natsu had consumed a chunk of them.**

'Well, Flare, welcome aboard!' Cheered Natsu.

Flare was very confused. Why had the flame told her to go with this boy and why was he so receptive to her? It confused Flare and made her a bit nervous.

'It's okay, I only met Natsu yesterday when he saved me… but he is a good person.' Said Meredy.

'Aye! Natsu raised me from an egg and has always made sure I got plenty of fish.' Added Happy, causing Flare to look at him, before glancing to Natsu.

'Would it be okay?' Asked Flare shyly.

'Of course, the more the merrier.' Said Natsu happily.

'Thank you, cherry head.' Said Flare shyly.

'Eh? Cherry head? That's a name I've never been called…' Said Natsu thoughtfully, causing Flare to be a little apprehensive of if Natsu would get upset with her.

'Whatever, I like it I suppose. Well, let's head off then.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

As the newly formed quartet left Sun Village, numerous sets of large eyes watched them leave from a distance.

"Good luck daughter." Thought the figures, as they watched the group travel further and further from the village, off towards a new journey. **  
**


	5. Northern Winds

**So here comes the penultimate chapter of Natsu's impromptu journey, before we get back to Hisui. There will be a few short time skips on the horizon, as we go through the growth of the main cast and add the last few characters to it, before we get to canon.  
When I say canon though, I mean timeline wise. Natsu's interactions with Fairy Tail are going to be almost non-existent, until quite a bit into canon. He will make appearances, since he is affiliated with the King and Princess of Fiore, but nothing like canon. That being said, even after those interactions, predominately during the Oración Seis/Nirvana arc, Natsu still won't interact with them that much. This Natsu will be running parallel to Fairy Tail, as he has his own plot going on, particularly with Hisui. I'm also dropping hints to the big arc that I will create, in this chapter, so start speculating! Although it'll actually be really obvious once I set the scene a bit more… or maybe that's just because I'm the one writing this and know what will happen next…**

 **Oh and just to help orientate everyone, here are the ages of the characters currently. I have no canon source for some of them, so I'm guessing.**

 **Year currently - 778  
Natsu – 12  
Hisui – 12?  
Flare – 10?  
Meredy – 9?  
Wendy – 6**

 **Enjoy the chapter!  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 5 – Northern Winds

'Ne, Natsu, where are we going now?' Asked Happy, from atop his partner's head.

'North.' Replied Natsu simply.

'Natsu, how far north are we going?' Asked Happy.

'Until we find a dark forest.' Answered Natsu.

'Okay.' Said Happy amicably, snuggling into Natsu's hair for a nap.

'Is it really okay for us to just go north without a plan?' Asked Meredy timidly.

'Of course! If there is anything we need, we can get it from around us. I've been surviving off nature for the past five years without Igneel. As long as you know what is dangerous and what isn't, you have nothing to worry about.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'Cherry head, I've never been outside of my village before, so I don't know what is dangerous and what isn't.' Added Flare uncertainly.

'Don't worry you two, you have me with you. I'll look after both of you and won't let anyone hurt either of you.' Said Natsu, flashing the pair a warm smile.

Meredy shyly smiled and Flare bashfully looked away, but both nodded to show their faith in Natsu.

'So, do you know the name of the person we are looking for next?' Asked Meredy curiously.

'Well, actually, the letter didn't say. Here is the weird part though, it says that she will be able to read the letter as well, so that means we are either looking for a dragon, or a Dragon Slayer like me. Either way, this is bound to be a good lead.' Answered Natsu thoughtfully.

Flare and Meredy shared an uncertain glance at this, before voicing their concern.

'If it is a dragon, how will you know it is a friendly one?' Asked Meredy.

'Hmm, well, this same letter led me to the two of you and Atlas Flame was friendly, so I don't have any reason to doubt it. If it makes you feel any better though, I'll scout ahead when we get close, so you won't have to worry. Besides, dragons aren't very good at hiding, they're huge! If it's a dragon, I'm sure we'll know it.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

The trio of humans and cat continued their journey to the north, constantly on the lookout for a sign that they were reaching their destination.

After a while of walking, as the sun started to set, Natsu decided to stop for a brief rest. Sitting around a small campfire Natsu had lit, the three sat on the ground, legs crossed.

'So Flare, what was it like living in your village? I mean, did Atlas do anything?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Well, it was nice… there weren't a lot of people my age though, but the elders all took good care of me. The Eternal Flame, I mean Atlas Flame, he actually didn't do anything, aside from bless the villagers. That's how I got my powers and how we always managed to have enough crops, despite being in such an isolated area.' Explained Flare shyly.

'That's interesting.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.

'What about your dragon?' Asked Meredy curiously.

'Hmm, Igneel… well, he was great. We always went out hunting together and it always felt great flying on top of his back. He was fun to fight with as well. I never won any of them, but I gave him a nice bruise one time when I snuck up on him. Ha-ha, he was so annoyed he flicked me into a boulder and knocked me out, but when I woke up, he got me extra food and told me he was proud of me.' Said Natsu nostalgically.

'That's sounds nice.' Commented Meredy.

'What about you?' Asked Natsu.

'Well, I was an orphan actually, but the orphanage I stayed in was very nice. The villagers were all friendly to us and would give us free food often.' Said Meredy, sounding slightly subdued.

'I'm sorry about what happened.' Said Natsu sadly, feeling Meredy's own sadness.

'What happened?' Asked Flare timidly.

'Some crazy guy burned the place to the ground. That's actually how I found Meredy. He was strong though, not as strong as Igneel, but strong.' Said Natsu, with a frown.

Meredy sniffled a little, only to feel a weight land on her head. Lifting her eyes upwards, she saw a tuft of blue hair.

'It's okay Meredy, we'll be one big happy family. As long as we stick together, everything will be fine.' Said Happy innocently, causing Meredy to smile.

'Happy's right. In the same way Igneel found me and took me in, I took Happy in and we made our own family. Besides, our family always has room for more.' Said Natsu, with a smile.

'Thank you.' Said Meredy softly, causing Natsu to beam.

'Okay! Let's head off and find the next member of our family!' Exclaimed Natsu, jumping to his feet.

 _-line break-_

It was late in the evening when the group had found their goal.

'So do you still want to stay here and wait for me or should we all just go look together?' Asked Natsu.

'Well, if we're a family, it only makes sense that we stick together.' Said Meredy quietly.

'All right, let's go then.' Said Natsu cheerfully, leading the way, as the two girls followed him, Happy resting on Natsu's head once again.

The group made their way past numerous large trees, all of which felt a little off to Meredy, feeling almost a hint of ill will coming off them, causing her to stick close to Natsu's side. Flare didn't seem to mind as much, but stuck close to the two, not wanting to get lost in the darkness. Happy had decided to snooze for a little bit longer, trusting Natsu to wake him when they reached their target. As the group exited the forest, they found themselves in front of dozens of straw huts and numerous people, dressed in plain clothing, milling about. The people seemed to take notice of the newcomers, stopping from their activities of daily life, to regard the group with open curiosity.

'Hmm, this is a lot of people, it's going to be hard to find whoever it is we need to.' Muttered Natsu, only to feel someone grip onto his arm tightly.

Looking to his left, he saw Meredy gripping his arm and looking down at the ground.

'What's wrong, Meredy?' Asked Natsu in surprise.

'Something feels wrong.' Said Meredy reluctantly, tightening her grip on the Dragon Slayer.

After a bit of walking through the village, one of the villagers approached the group hesitantly.

'Um, hello there, can we help you children with anything?' Asked a kind looking woman.

Natsu studied her for a moment, taking in her softened facial features indicating she wasn't a threat, before giving a small sniff, only to notice something odd.

"She doesn't have a scent…" Thought Natsu, scrunching his brows in confusion.

'Uh, we're looking for someone. A person who should be able to read this.' Said Natsu, holding the letter out to the woman.

A quick glance at the letter, revealed nothing but incomprehensible symbols to the woman.

'Well, I don't know if it will help, but perhaps our Chief may be able to locate this person for you.' Said the woman calmly.

'Really? Can we see him then?' Asked Natsu, causing the woman to nod.

'Of course, please follow me.' Said the woman, beckoning the group to follow her.

The group made their way to a tent that was slightly larger than the others and shaped like a cat's head. In the centre of the tent, seated on a mat of fur, was a small, slim, elderly man, with a long white beard, complete with a moustache, which reached up to his eyebrows, making for a large pair of sideburns. On his forehead was a tattoo, composed of a dot, surrounded by two arched stripes.

He donned a large headgear, composed of feathers, with more, lighter-coloured feathers adorning the back of his waist. He had cloth tied around his waist, paired with loose dark pants, reaching below his knees and simple shoes. His chest was bare and a necklace, seemingly made of massive teeth, rested just under his neck. He also sported a large bracelet on both of his upper arms and some bandages wrapped around his forearms.

'Master Roubaul, these children have come here in search for someone.' Announced the woman, getting a nod from the man.

Natsu felt Meredy tense up a bit, when the group was left alone with the man. Natsu also noticed the man didn't have a scent either.

'Well children, what brings you here?' Asked the elderly man, in a kind tone of voice.

'We're looking for a someone who can read this?' Announced Natsu, showing the letter to the man.

The man looked curiously at the letter, rubbing his beard in thought.

'That is quite old language young one, how did you come across this letter?' Asked Roubaul.

'Wait, you can read this thing old man?' Asked Natsu in disbelief.

'Not all of it, just enough to recognise it as a lost language, not seen for over four hundred years, hence why I asked you how you manage to obtain such a thing.' Said Roubaul.

'It was sent to me by someone. I don't know who.' Confessed Natsu.

'I see. So you came here to find someone who could read it to divulge what it says, no?' Asked Roubaul.

'No, I can read it fine.' Said Natsu, surprising the old man.

'Is that so?' Asked the man.

'Yeah. I'm a Dragon Slayer and this is the language dragons and Dragon Slayers use. The letter told me that if I came here I'd be able to find someone else who could read it.' Explained Natsu.

'I see. What do you need this person for though, if you can already read the letter yourself?' Asked Roubaul.

'I'm looking for my dragon and this letter says that if I do what it says I'll find out where Igneel is.' Said Natsu.

Roubaul hummed to himself, as he rubbed his beard in thought, deliberating on his next course of action.

'Very well. I know of the person you speak, she is currently on a simple mission and should be back tomorrow morning.' Started Roubaul.

'Really? That's great.' Said Natsu happily.

'Yes. However, I would like to speak with you later tonight, on a certain matter, which also pertains to this girl. If you would be willing to agree on certain terms with me, I shall be able to help you succeed in your journey.' Said Roubaul carefully.

'Okay, I don't have a problem with that.' Said Natsu calmly.

'In that case, you may stay here and rest for the night, I'm sure the four of you will find the beds here at least adequate for one time use.' Said Roubaul, pointing to a few woven quilts and fur pillows.

'Is that okay with you two, Flare, Meredy? Happy will probably just sleep on me like always and I'm fine sleeping wherever.' Asked Natsu, turning to the two girls now standing slightly behind him.

'It's fine.' Said Flare, with Meredy meekly nodding.

'Very well. I will be back in a moment. I believe I have something which can help one of you on your journey through life and will go and retrieve it.' Said Roubaul, hopping up onto his short legs.

'Thanks old man.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

Roubaul laughed as he left the tent, leaving the group of four alone.

'Natsu, is the dragon here yet?' Asked Happy sleepily, rubbing his bleary eyes.

'Not yet, but it seems they will be here soon.' Said Natsu, raising his hand, to pat his partner on the back softly.

'Okay.' Yawned Happy, before falling asleep again.

'What's wrong Meredy?' Asked Natsu, turning his attention to the pink haired girl.

'Everyone in this village feels strange… hollow almost.' Muttered Meredy.

'I couldn't smell anything coming off them either, which was really weird.' Added Natsu.

'I didn't notice anything odd like that, but they seemed surprised that anyone would come by.' Commented Flare.

'I guess being out here they don't get a lot of visitors. It's weird though, why would a dragon or Dragon Slayer be here? Aside from this village, there isn't anything around. Sure, there was the forest, but the rest of this place feels really… what's that word… barren… for some reason, like something is sucking the energy out of this place.' Commented Natsu thoughtfully.

'Ah, forgive me for the wait, it took me longer to find this book than I thought it would.' Said Roubaul, as he re-entered the tent.

The elderly man approached the most hesitant of the group and presented them with a book.

'I can tell you have a strong aptitude for magic young one and in particular, for sensory magic. This is a rather old possession of mine, but I believe it will benefit you greatly.' Said Roubaul kindly.

Meredy relaxed slightly, but stayed close to Natsu, as she took the book slowly, with both hands.

'Maguilty Sense.' Intoned Meredy quietly.

'Yes, I do hope that book helps you out, as alas, I am not very good at that type of magic myself.' Said Roubaul kindly.

'You know magic too? What kind?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'All kinds, some of the best and some of the worst. I am an old man and have seen many different types of magic, that's why, I hope you know that certain types of magic should not be tampered with. It is a grave lesson I learnt and one I hope to impart upon others.' Said Roubaul grimly.

'Is that why none of the villagers here have any scent? Did you use magic to do that?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Yes, that is the result of my doing. Unfortunately, it was a mistake and I cannot reverse it.' Confessed Roubaul.

'Oh, sorry to bring that up.' Said Natsu sheepishly.

'It's quite all right, in fact, it also has to do with what I would like to discuss with you later.' Said Roubaul, waving off Natsu's concerns.

'Do you want to talk now? I mean, there isn't much else for us to do here.' Offered Natsu.

'So you'd like to skip dinner?' Asked Roubaul, as two villagers brought in a few platters of food, mostly consisting of fruits and other exotic looking foods.

'Food!' Exclaimed Happy, jumping off Natsu's head and startling the two attendants who hadn't noticed him.

'I guess Happy speaks for us all.' Laughed Natsu, getting Roubaul to chuckle as well.

 _-line break-_

After the group had eaten their fill, Natsu and Roubaul went for a little trip, leaving the two girls and blue cat behind. The two walked to the edge of the village, looking out into the dark forest, which looked even more eerie, now that the sun was all but gone.

'Young man, if you made a mistake in your life, which led to untold suffering for others, what would you do?' Asked Roubaul.

'Try to fix the mistake obviously.' Said Natsu, tilting his head in confusion.

'Indeed. Now, what if the mistake was too big for you to fix on your own, what would you do then?' Asked Roubaul, continuing to look out into the forest.

'Get people to help me. My friends.' Said Natsu.

'What would you do if you have no friends? If you were completely alone and stuck with only the mistake you had made, how would you fix it?' Asked Roubaul, turning to face Natsu.

'No matter what, any mistake that would make others suffer isn't something I can let stand. I'd get as strong as I can until I can fix it.' Said Natsu strongly.

Roubaul smiled at this.

'Well said. Young man, in order for me to explain my question, let me tell you a short story. You see, there was a group of people once, who had become disenchanted with the normality of the world. Good and evil. This group was not satisfied with this and sought to turn the evil into good.' Said Roubaul solemnly.

'What's wrong with that? That sounds like a good idea.' Asked Natsu.

'Indeed, it sounds like a good idea, but the concepts of good and evil are not things that can be toyed with. Good can become evil and evil can become good, but it must take time, reflection, a long journey of self-discovery and thought. These people though, they tried to force the change instantaneously.' Continued Roubaul.

'However, all the evil in the world needs to be balanced with good and vice-versa. So, in trying to remove the evil from some, the good of others was corrupted, their own good, all in the name of balance. This power was then abused and the evil led to much infighting, leading to the death of these people.' Finished Roubaul.

'So… who were these people?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'They were my people, myself included.' Said Roubaul, after a minute, confusing Natsu.

'Wait, but you said they all died.' Pointed out Natsu in befuddlement.

'Indeed, I am in fact not living. I am a spirit of magical power. All of those villagers you saw, the reason they had no scent, as you so aptly noted, is because they are mass magic constructs I created. They are magic and therefore, not truly alive.' Revealed Roubaul, shocking Natsu.

'So you're all ghosts…' Muttered Natsu in shock.

'Indeed, we are a shadow of the Nirvit. I was the last of my kind and stubbornly forced myself to continue to exist, until I could fix the mistake me and my people created.' Explained Roubaul.

'So this thing that could turn good into evil and evil into good, is that your mistake?' Asked Natsu, causing Roubaul to nod and turn back to the forest.

'Somewhere, not too far from here, buried underneath Worth Woodsea, lies Nirvana. Nirvana is the greatest mistake my people and I made and to this day, it remains buried and sealed. However, knowing it is still out there, I have forced myself to stubbornly stay on this soil until I can be sure that it is gone and destroyed for all eternity. Truth be told, my guild, was only formed for the girl who you came to find. One day, as I sat in my tent, brooding on Nirvana, a young blue haired boy appeared, bringing with him and even younger, blue haired girl. He explained that he had found a girl who had been left to fend for herself. He took care of her for a while, but had more important, urgent tasks he needed to take care of and begged me to look after her. I had resolved myself to living in solitude, until I had erased Nirvana from this world, but I couldn't disappoint that little girl, so I created Cait Shelter and all of those people back there, to keep up the ruse that this was a guild.' Said Roubaul, truly sounding his age.

'So what do you want me to do? Destroy Nirvana?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

'That is my wish, however, you are not strong enough yet to destroy it. That's why, I would like you to take Wendy with you. I will place it all under the guise of a job, a six year scouting mission, to explore the land for your two dragons and train for the eventual destruction of Nirvana. In six years, you and your friends should be strong enough to do so. Nirvana's power rests in six cores, so you will need six people to destroy it. However, if you do manage to accomplish this one task for me, I will disappear and finally, my soul will be allowed to rest. However, this means the guild and all the people Wendy knows, will disappear. That is my request, please befriend Wendy, help her grow stronger and rid Nirvana of the world for me. Will you accept this very old man's request?' Finished Roubaul desperately.

'I will, or my name isn't Natsu Dragneel.' Said Natsu firmly, causing Roubaul to look at him in joy.

'You are truly kind young man. When the time comes for me to pass on, I believe I will have some information for you, to help you. It won't be for you to find your dragon, but I have lived for over four hundred years… well, perhaps lived isn't the correct expression… but I can provide you with information that will be of great personal interest to you.' Said Roubaul.

'Okay, you got a deal old man. First I'll get stronger and destroy Nirvana for you, then you can tell me whatever it is, sound fair?' Offered Natsu.

'It is a deal. Now come, you should rest, Wendy will be here tomorrow morning and you don't want to be tired for when you meet her.' Said Roubaul, earning a nod from Natsu, with the two heading back to the tent.

 _-line break-_

As the two returned to the tent, Meredy and Flare were both asleep, with Happy nestled in between them.

'It seems they left you a bed of your own.' Commented Roubaul, noticing the two were huddled on one bed sheet.

'I don't know why, I slept on the floor of a cave for years, it isn't like this will hurt me at all.' Commented Natsu.

'Perhaps they don't want you to feel uncomfortable either. People will do whatever they can, to make those they care about feel at ease.' Said Roubaul.

'You're right.' Said Natsu, grabbing the second bedsheet and draping it over the two girls, leaving only the second pillow for himself.

'Night old man, see you tomorrow.' Said Natsu, lying down on the floor directly, only using the pillow to prop his head up.

Roubaul chuckled to himself.

"Yes, Wendy… you will be safe with these people, they will look after you and hopefully become the friends and family that you deserve." Thought Roubaul.

 _-line break-_

With a big yawn, Natsu sat up. Looking around, Meredy and Flare were still asleep, with Happy still dreaming of fish, if his mutterings were any indication.

'Ah, I see you are awake.' Commented Roubaul.

'How did you wake up before me?' Asked Natsu in surprise.

'One would need to sleep to wake up.' Said Roubaul cheekily, causing Natsu to blink in recognition.

'Oh, right, forget about that… wait, does that mean you don't need to eat?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Indeed we don't.' Said Roubaul.

'Where did the food from yesterday come from?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

'We do not eat, but we can still interact with the world. The fruit was from the edge of the forest. After all, Wendy does need to eat, as does the cat-like creature she hatched quite recently, not too dissimilar to your blue furred friend over there.' Answered Roubaul.

'Really, she has a cat like Happy? That's so cool!' Exclaimed Natsu.

'Um, Master Roubaul, are you busy?' Spoke a timid voice from outside the tent.

'Oh no, come in dear, there is someone here to meet you.' Said Roubaul encouragingly.

Walking through the entrance of the tent, was a short blue haired girl. He hair was short, just reaching to her neck, with two bangs framing the sides of her face and a few falling down over her forehead. She wore a white, short sleeved shirt, with yellow cuffs at the ends and a red bow tie. Along with this, she wore light blue shorts and simple dark red shoes.

'Um, hello.' Said Wendy shyly, sparing Natsu a quick glance.

'Oh, just a moment Wendy, before I introduce you to the others, it would be best if they are all awake.' Said Roubaul.

'Others?' Questioned Wendy.

'Oh, good idea. Meredy, Flare, Happy, time to wake up.' Said Natsu, giving the two girls a nudge.

'Fish… is it breakfast time Natsu?' Mumbled Happy sleepily, as he sat up.

'In a bit bud.' Said Natsu cheerfully, as Flare and Meredy stared to stir.

The two girls blinked a few times in sleepiness, rubbing their bleary eyes, before focusing on the situation.

'Well, now that you are all awake and alert, allow me to introduce all of you to Wendy Marvell.' Said Roubaul, formally introducing the timid blue haired girl.

'Hello, I'm Wendy Marvel, as Master said, nice to meet you.' Said Wendy, giving a small bow.

'I'm Natsu Dragneel and these three are Meredy, Flare and Happy.' Said Natsu, introducing the three in turn, with a gesture of his right hand.

'Nice to meet you.' Said Wendy once again.

Natsu ruffled through his clothes again, before pulling out the letter that had started this mission for him.

'Can you read this?' Asked Natsu, sticking the letter out to Wendy.

Wendy slowly approached Natsu and took the letter from him.

'Yes, it says…' Started Wendy, only for Natsu to cut her off.

'I know what it says, I'm a Dragon Slayer too, like you I bet. That letter told me I'd find someone here who could read it as well and it had to be either a dragon, or a Dragon Slayer.' Said Natsu happily.

'Would you… would you happen to know where Grandeeney is?' Asked Wendy timidly, but hopefully.

'Nope, sorry. I don't know where Igneel is either. He is the Fire Dragon King and my dad. The letter told me that if I do what it says though, that one day I'll find Igneel. If I find Igneel though, I'm sure he'll know where Grandeeney is too.' Explained Natsu.

'Yes and on that note, Wendy, for your next job, I would like you to accompany Natsu and his friends as they attempt to track down the others they need to find in the letter and join them on their search for your dragons.' Said Roubaul.

'Are you sure Master? A job like that will take a long time.' Said Wendy uncertainly.

'I am fully aware of this, I am assigning you six years to fulfil this task, at which point, I have requested for all of you to return to Cait Shelter. I have important information I would like reveal at that time.' Explained Roubaul.

'O-Okay.' Said Wendy hesitantly.

'Don't worry, it'll be great. I even found a book on Dragon Slaying magic back in the palace so I'll be able to help you train as well.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'Palace?' Queried Wendy uncertainly.

'Aye. Natsu got hurt saving the Princess of Fiore and she helped him get better and the King let us stay there and brought us lots of yummy food too.' Added Happy.

'Are, you sure it is okay though, to just suddenly bring me along?' Asked Wendy nervously.

'Don't worry, they're all really nice, they'd love to help you out. They helped me out after all.' Said Natsu, assuaging some of Wendy's worries.

'Okay, I'll go find Carla and then we can head off.' Said Wendy, giving one last quick bow, before leaving to find her companion.

'Please look after Wendy for me.' Said Roubaul, after the girl in question had left.

'No need to worry, we'll all look after her and I'm sure that soon enough, she'll be looking after us as well.' Said Natsu, causing Roubaul to smile.

'Thank you.' Said Roubaul.

'So should we head off now?' Asked Natsu, turning to his other companions.

'Okay.' Said Meredy, with Flare settling for nodding.

As the three humans and cat left the tent, Roubaul stroked his beard in thought.

"Dragneel… yes, there is much I can tell young Natsu." Thought Roubaul.


	6. Family

**Sorry for the delay on the chapter. I had a particularly bad migraine last week and didn't get much sleep this week, since I kept waking up in the middle of the night because of the heat. I also think I will switch to updating on Saturdays, rather than Wednesdays, just in case something like this happens again. In actual fact, this chapter was up on my pat reon almost two weeks ago, but I didn't have the time, nor the ability to proofread it. I considered uploading the raw version, but the perfectionist in me wouldn't have it and it was on my pat reon already anyway. It has also been busy over here, since one of my uncles died last fortnight too and we've been making arrangements for all of that as well and people have been coming over to offer their condolences.**

 **Basically, I've been super busy and not feeling well.**

 **In any case, the long (even though it was pretty short) journey of Natsu's is coming to an end now and there will be a time skip or two soon. All that is left is to introduce Cosmos and Kamika in the coming chapters, before I skip a bit ahead to Natsu interacting with the other guilds, before we finally get to canon, timeline wise at least, considering Natsu will be running off on his own, away from Fairy Tail.**

 **On a different note, I've put a referral link to one of the games I play on my pat reon and if you register through it, I get a bonus, so if you are bored and/or want a MMORPG to play, check that out.**

 **Lastly, the poll is looking pretty conclusive and it seems that much like Opera gives away free stuff, you people have given Natsu lots of romantic interests. Truthfully, I'm pleased, as a lot of the people in the poll for this harem are quite rare and it will be fun to use them.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 6 – Family

'So where are we going now, Natsu?' Asked Happy, from atop his partner's head.

The group consisting of Natsu, Happy, Meredy, Flare and the recently recruited Wendy and Carla, trudged onwards to their next destination.

'Well, it seems we're heading back towards the palace, but not directly. Yeah, it says there is one more place we need to stop at on the way.' Said Natsu, scrutinising the piece of paper he held.

'What are we looking for?' Asked Wendy curiously.

'Hmm, someone with a black key… weird.' Mumbled Natsu.

'Are you sure it is a wise choice to blindly follow what that letter says?' Asked Carla, a white furred cat, wearing a pink dress, from within Wendy's grasp.

'Why not? It helped me find all of you, so it can't be that bad.' Said Natsu.

Carla didn't appear happy at his answer, but gave a small nod nonetheless.

'It's okay Carla. If we are together, then we should be fine.' Said Wendy optimistically.

'Anyway, I was wondering what powers you have Wendy.' Said Natsu.

'Well, I am the Sky Dragon Slayer so I have lots of useful support magic and I can heal others as well, but my attacks aren't very strong.' Said Wendy shyly.

Natsu placed his hand atop the smaller girl's head and grinned at her.

'Don't worry Wendy, I'm sure you are stronger than you think. Besides, once we get to the castle, I can start training you and you might even learn a few things from that book I found.' Said Natsu, his smile proving to be infectious, as one of her own formed on Wendy's face.

The group fell into a comfortable silence after that, as they continued to make their way back to Mercurius.

 _-line break-_

'There you are princess.' Said Arcadios, as he finally tracked down Hisui.

The green haired girl was in her favourite garden, squatting down low to gaze at the flowers forlornly.

'It's been weeks now Arcadios.' Sighed Hisui.

'Princess, he went on a search across the entire country, that is going to take time.' Reasoned Arcadios, but the princess wouldn't have it.

'I don't care, I'm bored and… I miss him.' Huffed Hisui.

'Hisui, there you are.' Said Toma, as he spotted his daughter and made his way towards her.

'Father, what is it?' Asked Hisui.

'Well, given how upset you've been these past few days, I sent out a scout or two to search for young Natsu. If they are to be believed, he seems to be heading in this direction.' Said Toma, causing his daughter to look up hopefully.

'You mean he is coming back?' Asked Hisui.

'It seems that way.' Said Toma, getting a smile from his daughter.

'I'm glad.' Said Hisui, containing her happiness.

'However, I don't think Natsu would be too happy to hear you were lazing about in his absence.' Added Toma.

'Of course not, I will be off.' Said Hisui, giving a small bow, before leaving the two men behind.

'Well Arcadios, it seems we have the Princess back in high spirits.' Said Toma happily.

'My Lord, are you sure it is wise to toy with the Princess's feelings like this? From the sounds of things, the boy will be disappearing frequently to search the land. Are you sure the Princess will be able to handle this?' Asked Arcadios.

'Give it time, Arcadios. Their friendship was still in its early stages when they separated, I'm sure that with time, Hisui will be able to withstand young Natsu's future absences.' Said Toma.

'If you say so, my Lord.' Said Arcadios.

 _-line break-_

'Okay, I think this is the place.' Said Natsu, looking at the letter one last time, before putting it away.

'How can you be sure?' Asked Meredy.

'Well, it said to head back for the palace after finding Wendy and the first town we came across would be where we would find the person with the black key.' Said Natsu.

'What if we missed a town though?' Asked Flare hesitantly, at seeing so many people milling about.

'I would have smelled it if we did. This is the first place that I've picked up on with human scents so it has to be here.' Said Natsu.

'Well, we could look around for a bit at the very least.' Said Wendy, getting nods from the group.

The group made their way through the town, with Flare in particular being awed by the sights and sounds.

'It sure is noisy.' Commented Wendy.

'Not really, most towns are like this. You're probably not familiar with it yet because of living out in the woods before now. It takes a while to adjust your senses to the noise.' Informed Natsu.

'But I don't have any more money.' Said a girl, grabbing Wendy's attention.

'I'm sorry, but times are tough and I can't just give you food for free. I'm sure you could get some if you sold your key, but I can't help you, I'm sorry.' Said a man.

Wendy whipped her head around trying to find the source of the sound, only for Natsu to pat her on the shoulder. Looking up, Wendy saw Natsu was staring off to the side, at a small fruit stall. Wendy followed his gaze and saw a small girl, who looked to be around her age, if not a year younger, talking with the stall owner, a middle-aged man with brown hair and brown eyes.

The little girl stuck out among the crowd, as she had light blue hair, an oddity for sure. The girl sighed and bowed her head dejectedly, mumbling a quick thank you and apology, before turning away from the stall and heading away from the busy marketplace.

'How much for a bag of those?' Asked Natsu, as he walked over to the stall owner.

The man turned his gaze to Natsu and scrutinised the boy.

'I doubt you would have enough, but perhaps we can make a deal.' Said the man.

'What kind of deal?' Asked Natsu.

'Nothing too dangerous, I just need help unloading my wares from inside. I may not look it, but I'm reaching my sixties and I'm not as fit as I was in the past. If you help me out, I'll give you a bag of apples in payment.' Proposed the man.

'Okay, that sounds fair.' Agreed Natsu.

'You three, you can explore the town for a bit if you want, this shouldn't take long.' Said Natsu confidently, before heading into the stall owners small tent and bringing out a box.

'Or you can go and try and find the person we are looking for.' Added Natsu, before heading back in for another box.

'What should we do?' Asked Wendy.

'I think we should go and find the person we are looking for?' Said Meredy.

'Do we even know what they look like?' Asked Flare.

'I guess not, but it shouldn't be too hard to find a clue or something.' Said Meredy.

The group of three girls and two cats then wandered off with their new goal in mind, while Natsu continued to earn their next meal.

 _-line break-_

'A Dragon Slayer you say?' Asked a man, with a long white beard and eyepatch.

'Yes Master Hades. While Zancrow will not admit so, he proved quite powerful, as did the girl he saved, who possessed a great deal of latent power for her age.' Said Ultear.

'Feh, one lucky hit counts as quite powerful now, you're overselling things, Ultear. It was a couple of brats with a bit of potential, hardly worth reporting about to Master Hades.' Huffed Zancrow.

'You both make good points, however, it is of no consequence currently anyway. Ultear, I would like for you to infiltrate the Council currently and Zancrow, I would like you to go send a message to a rogue guild, which has foolishly broken away from the Balam Alliance. I trust the two of you can handle these tasks.' Said Hades calmly.

'Of course.' Said Ultear, with Zancrow merely grinning in excitement.

'Then be off, soon, we will show the world the might of Grimoire Heart.' Said Hades, before his two subordinates left.

 _-line break-_

'That's the last of them.' Said Natsu, as he placed the final box down.

'Thank you for your help young man.' Said the stall owner.

'No worries old man, happy to help.' Said Natsu.

'In any case, here is your bag of apples, as agreed upon.' Said the man, handing Natsu his payment.

'Thanks. Hey, I don't suppose you could tell me about that little girl that was here before?' Inquired Natsu.

'Yukino? Whatever for?' Asked the man.

'Well, I kind of felt bad for here not being able to get any food. I don't suppose you could tell me where I could find her.' Revealed Natsu.

'I see, how noble of you. Well, I can't say I know Yukino very well, only that she stumbled into the village one day looking quite haggard. She came from a nearby village that had been attacked and only had the clothes on her back with her. She manages to get by through little jobs here and there, but it isn't an easy life to be sure. I keep telling her to sell that key of hers, but she refuses to budge, claiming it was a gift.' Said the man.

'A key? Why would a key be worth money? You wouldn't even know what it would open.' Questioned Natsu in confusion.

'It isn't an ordinary key, it is a magical key and I'm sure someone would be interested in buying one. Alas, Yukino refuses to sell it. Oh, but I believe I've digressed, if you'd like to find Yukino, she lives in a small hut on the edge of town, just over that hill.' Said the man, pointing off in the distance.

'Thanks for all the help.' Said Natsu, before walking off, the bag of fruit slung over his shoulder.

"Now I just need to find the others and then we can go look for Yukino. I'm sure she must be the person we are looking for." Thought Natsu, before trudging through town.

After fifteen minutes of fruitless searching, despite the apples on his back, Natsu decided to make his way to the hill, hoping to get a better vantage point and if that failed, heading straight to Yukino. Once Natsu had gotten away from the town, he picked up on the scents of the others and started to follow them.

 _-line break-_

'Are you sure you know where we are going?' Asked Wendy.

'Pretty sure. I can feel a small source of magic ahead. Normally it wouldn't mean anything, but in this town, it sticks out like a sore thumb.' Said Meredy.

'Are we going to be in danger?' Asked Flare, the ends of her hair starting to twitch.

'I don't think so. It isn't much stronger than any of us, but like I said, it sticks out.' Said Meredy.

The group emerged from the tree line and spotted a small house not too far away. Calling it a house was generous though, as it was quite small and run down.

'So what now?' Asked Flare.

'The magic is coming from that house.' Said Meredy.

'So is it a magic house?' Asked Happy from Meredy's shoulder.

'Of course not, it means someone with magic is in that house.' Admonished Carla.

'Is it okay for all of us to just go there? I mean, wouldn't it be a little scary if a few people just showed up at someone's house.' Whispered Wendy, pressing her fingers together repeatedly.

'Yeah… maybe we shouldn't.' Said Meredy, before she felt a familiar source of magic nearing them.

Turning around, Meredy quickly spotted a tuft of pink hair, not too dissimilar from her own.

'There you all are.' Said Natsu, emerging from the tree line, a bag of fruit slung over his shoulder.

'What are you doing here?' Asked Meredy.

'Same thing as you five I bet, you were tracking down Yukino, weren't you?' Replied Natsu.

'Yukino?' Questioned Happy.

'The girl we are looking for. Well, I'm pretty sure it is the girl we are looking for.' Said Natsu, giving a small chuckle.

'Come on, let's go.' Said Natsu, walking past the group, with Happy hitching a ride on his head as he did so.

'I guess we should follow.' Said Meredy after a moment, getting a nod from the two other girls and a sigh from Carla.

'Hello, anyone home?' Asked Natsu, as he knocked on the tattered wooden door.

There was a small yelp from inside, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. A moment after that, the door slowly opened.

'Hello?' Greeted the light blue haired girl uncertainly, as she opened the door.

'Hi, Yukino, right?' Asked Natsu, getting a slow nod from the girl.

'Here, I got this for you.' Said Natsu, taking the bag of apples off his shoulder and offering it to the much smaller girl.

'W-why?' Asked the girl in shock.

'Hmm, why? Don't you want them? I saw you asking for food at the market and wanted to help you out.' Said Natsu, giving his signature grin.

Yukino's face gained a healthy blush at this, causing her to look down at the ground bashfully.

'Here, I'm sure you're hungry.' Said Natsu, taking an apple out of the bag and giving it to Yukino.

The young girl tentatively took the fruit and started at it for a moment, before taking a small bite.

'It's delicious, thank you.' Said Yukino, after tasting the fruit.

At that moment, Flare, Meredy and Wendy, with Carla in her grasp, reached the house as well and observed Yukino properly. She appeared quite frail, but there was a nice colour to her skin, making it appear as though she was in the sun a lot. Her clothes were rather old, but appeared well looked after.

'Hello.' Greeted Wendy, drawing Yukino's attention to them.

Yukino observed the three, before focusing on the girl who seemed to be closest to her in age and was also the one to greet her.

'Hello, who are you? I'm Yukino.' Said Yukino.

'I'm Wendy and this is Carla, it's nice to meet you.' Said Wendy, giving a small bow.

'I'm Meredy.' Said Meredy, getting a nod from Yukino, before her gaze shifted to Flare.

'F-Flare.' Said the timid girl, getting a small smile from Yukino.

'Oh that's right, I never introduced myself, I'm Natsu and this is Happy.' Said Natsu, getting his blue furred friend to add his own greeting.

'Aye sir! Nice to meet you.' Said Happy.

'W-would you like to come in?' Offered Yukino nervously.

'Sure, just let me know where to put this bag first.' Said Natsu.

'You can bring it inside. Please, come in.' Said Yukino, turning around and leading the group in.

If her home looked small from the outside, it was even smaller on the inside. The kitchen and living room took up most of the space, both continuous to one another. There was a single chair in the kitchen and a small table, which seemed to have torn up leaves scattered over it. In the corner of the living room was a small heap of blankets and one pillow.

'Sorry I don't have chairs for all of you to sit on.' Apologised Yukino.

'Don't worry about it, this is a nice place you have here.' Said Natsu, waving off her concerns, as he plopped himself down on the floor.

The rest all followed suit, with Yukino joining them as well.

'So Yukino, what are you doing here all alone?' Asked Natsu.

Yukino appeared to become quite sad at this and looked to the floor.

'I… didn't have anywhere else to go.' Said Yukino.

'What about your family?' Asked Natsu.

'They're gone.' Said Yukino quietly.

'Ne Yukino, do you want to be part of our family?' Asked Happy, after he waddled over to her.

'What do you mean?' Asked Yukino.

'Natsu went around looking for all of us to help.' Said Meredy.

'Cherry head is very nice.' Added Flare.

'My master told me to go with Natsu because we are both Dragon Slayers and because he trusts Natsu.' Finished Wendy.

'Why do you want me though? I'm nothing but bad luck.' Said Yukino.

'What makes you say that?' Asked Natsu.

'My family… they got hurt because of me.' Said Yukino.

'What makes you say that?' Asked Carla.

'They were protecting me. I couldn't stand up for myself, so they were always protecting me. I'm just bad luck.' Said Yukino.

'Nah, I don't think so. Family is supposed to protect family, that's what family is for. It isn't your fault for your family protecting you, they would have wanted to protect you because they care about you.' Said Natsu, getting Yukino to look up at him.

'No, it's my fault. One day, I wandered away from our village… and this nice person gave me a key, a magical key… but, there were people looking for this key and I didn't know. A few weeks later, those people came to our village and attacked us, looking for the key. I didn't know what to do, but my parents told me to run away with my sister. We almost made it away, but they started to catch up to us. My sister… she told me to hide… I didn't know what to do, so I just did it, I don't remember what happened after that, but when I woke up, everyone was gone and so was our village. It was all because of me.' Said Yukino, tears starting to escape her eyes.

The tears abruptly stopped, when a knock was heard on the door. Yukino carefully made her way to the door, only for it to be kicked in, by a man wearing a dark cloak, with an eye on it.

'We finally found you! You didn't think you'd get away, did you?' Asked the man.

'N-no, it's you. You're one of the people that attacked our village.' Gasped Yukino.

'That's right, so you already know what I'm here for. Hand over the key and we might let you live.' Said the man.

'No, it was a gift. The person who gave it to me said it would protect me and that I should always hold on it.' Said Yukino.

'Well too bad for you, we need that key and we won't stop until we get it.' Said the man, before all the air was expelled from his lungs and he was sent flying out of the house, breaking the door off its hinges.

'I won't let you hurt Yukino.' Growled Natsu.

'Who the hell do you think you are, brat?' Roared the man in anger.

'It doesn't matter, **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**.' Said Natsu, sinking his gut into the man's stomach, causing his eyes to roll back into his head, before falling backwards unconscious.

'Yukino, even if you are bad luck, it doesn't matter because I don't need luck anyway. Come with us Yukino and we can be your new family and I promise we won't let anyone hurt you.' Said Natsu.

'B-but I'm bad luck.' Protested Yukino.

'It doesn't matter to Natsu. Natsu just wants to help people.' Added Happy.

'Natsu saved my life as well, you can trust us.' Said Meredy.

'N-Natsu is very kind too.' Added Flare.

'Yes, Natsu will help us get stronger too, besides, it'd be fun to have more friends.' Said Wendy.

'A-are you sure you want me?' Asked Yukino.

'Only if you want to be with us. This is your decision, but if you come with us, I promise you won't regret it.' Said Natsu.

Yukino sniffled a few times, making Natsu think he might have said something wrong. Just before he could say anything else though, Yukino looked up with a smile, despite the tears running down her eyes.

'Please take me with you, I want a family again.' Pleaded Yukino, only for Natsu to grin.

'Yukino, welcome aboard.' Beamed Natsu. 


End file.
